Glenn's Underground Cabin Update

[PEG688]

Very nice!

[glenn kangiser]

Thanks PEG.... She put the veggies together nicely but in the meantime the local lumber company who has been neglecting to correct his bill after billing us again for payments called..... during the ensuing conversation I seriously burned the vegetables that did not stop cooking as we were arguing.... [ouch]

Not a total loss though ... 2/3 were edible and charcoal removes heavy metal toxins from your system I have read....

[CjAl]

  Haven't pulled a 45 foot reefer since 1984.   

nobody has, they are al 53' now 

[glenn kangiser]

....and it seems it was only yesterday....... [ouch]


Whitlock said I needed to get a fishing license.  Hmm...that makes sense..... [idea]

He couldn't go but I did. Went to that there hole there beyond the flowers. ....





.....Fun...haven't done that in  close to 15 years as I recall. ......

[PEG688]

 Did ya catch any or  did you just fish?   

[glenn kangiser]

Oh.... Thx for the reminder PEG.

Not super fishing but..... I did get one Rainbow. 13 incher.





I used to work/manage a trout farm so can clean one in about 30 seconds. [ouch]

[ben2go]

Oh.... Thx for the reminder PEG.

Not super fishing but..... I did get one Rainbow. 13 incher.





I used to work/manage a trout farm so can clean one in about 30 seconds. [ouch]

How?I'd like to learn to clean fish fast.Then I would start eating some of my catches.

[glenn kangiser]

It's easy if you know how, Ben...   

Send a self addressed stamped envelope and $5 to...

....ah... what the heck... I just as well share the knowledge rather than taking it with me some day..

Hold the trout (one of the worlds most wonderful fish) upside down in your left hand if right handed and sharp knife in the right hand, point facing the fish and blade cutting edge away from you. 

Under the lower jaw (on top now since the fish is upside down) you will see two lines just inside the jawbone where it is thin and attaches the tongue to the jaw.  Stick the knife through the right side, push down a little so the blade raises the tongue and out through the left side, and slice away from you separating the tongue from the jaw.  This kind of leaves a v shaped piece with the tongue separated from the jaw but still attached near the gills.

Next cut from the butt (insert proper term here________) using the tip of the knife so as not to get into the guts slitting the belly and stopping just between the pectoral (front side)fins.  There is kind of a solid place there between the fins to stop at directly between the two.  Look at the pix of the fish above.  You will see those fins are missing. 

With the fish still held firmly in your left hand take your right thumb tip and pushing firmly against the inside toward the back bone, push your thumb forward cleaning the blood line out of the back.  The guts will be removed from the stomach cavity and sliding out on top of your thumb.  When you get to the place where the pectoral fins, gills and tongue are located, still keeping your thumb tight against the bottom, rotate your hand 180 degrees and with your index finger - kind of the side of it, stick it deep inside the front jaw gripping the guts,  tongue, gills and intact pectoral fins all together tightly, and pull.  The pectoral fins will tear off at the base of the skull and directly behind them along with the gills and guts coming out entirely clean,  wasting next to nothing (or save it for fish fertilizer..add a bit of EM and Presto. no bad smell).  A quick rinse and you are done... elapsed time appx. 30 seconds or maybe less.  [idea]

Do it soon after it is caught or keep it live on a stringer in the water, as deterioration starts immediately when the fish dies.  Done properly it should still be quivering for a while after you are done....   If you see the stomach cavity bones separating from the inside when you clean the fish you have waited too long and it will not be so good....

[bbq]

Does that all make sense or do I need to take pix or do sketches?

[glenn kangiser]

So... the long awaited day arrived... and it was good....

The  Permies (www.permies.com) got to the cul-de-sac late last night.  I wanted them to have a look before they brought their beloved Land Whale around the last hairpin turn on my driveway.  Paul, the early bird walked the 1/4 mile up ... met Spike and the other dogs and survived. 

We looked the corner over...decided the 27 foot Land Whale as they call it would make it around it fine and so when the others called we told them to bring it on up.   



I was telling Paul about our fire protection scheme and how our cows prevent fire danger on the south side by eating all of the dry grass.  I told him of Beefsteaks demise, and how we have 3 freezers running on our solar because Beefsteak took one by himself... mentioned that I didn't know if Permies were Vegans or not......but ...whatever... [ouch]

Paul's reply was ... "So that means we are having steak for breakfast?"

Well, since he put it that way, yes... No problem.

They didn't have a problem with the microwave to defrost it either... Hey.. these guys are not actually senseless radicals.

OK - I knew that, sort of as I am a part time admin there too.  You never know from computer personalities how people are in person but we found them to be a great group of visitors.  I had several email conversations with Jocelyn helping to get this part of their trip coordinated and she was just as nice in person as she seemed in the emails.

[bbq]

OK Paul, here are your breakfast steaks.  I was wondering what we were going to do with all of that meat anyway and it seems we always find a fitting occasion. 



I think this was a bit earlier... Paul (Montana) and Ivan (Norway) having morning coffee and conversing with us.... interesting...





Ivan knew of the underground complex before he came here he was telling us.  He also had a fiance....

Let me relate the story he told me on the front porch kind of the way I pictured it in my mind.  He and his fiance were happily looking through the underground cabin thread... checking out the pictures and sharing light discussion.  Ivan loves...LOVES... the underground complex... 

Ivan got to the picture of the conversation pit and was overwhelmed.... he thought it was the greatest thing he had ever seen. 

His fiance on the other hand was not thrilled.... I don't know what the conversation entailed.. but it may have gone something like this... "Eeeyouuuu...dirt... a cat with an oven in it's stomach and that ugly thing on the post and the torso on the oxen and the elephants foot... I hate it... "

I assume that was too much for Ivan... "What ... you don't like the Underground Command Center" 

.... "Then be off with you, woman... we cannot be compatible if that is your attitude... "

So rather than change his views of the Underground Complex he realized that this was just a harbinger of many future incompatibilities... funny how things interact ... little things that can change your path in life... for better or worse..... 

Ivan toured the place with Sassy and took dozens of pictures of everything.  I told Jocelyn not to be surprised when she saw the place because I framed my pictures to show the best parts ... [ouch]

She came back later and said ...to the contrary... my pictures did not do the place justice... you had to be there to get the full idea.  What a nice lady.    She just earned a whole bunch of Brownie points from me... 

Sassy and Jocelyn prepared Asian Sweet Potato hash browns, salad, fruit and cinnamon rolls as I grilled the steaks.  Soon we were munching down and filling those empty bellies...




Here is the driver of the Land Whale holding up the front door of the Underground Complex....



We looked around the complex a bit more ... Paul asked if I would do a Podcast with him.  We discussed a couple things - one being the sign I post on our place - the No Trespassing sign with LAND USE fees of $5000 per day or part thereof for individuals working for public agencies who may choose to harass me.  We decided to lump them into one.

Paul mentioned notes for the discussion but since he and I are pretty full of hot air he decided we should just wing it... and we did - for over an hour.  He had some good discussion ideas in mind and I think it came off pretty decent....

Seems there is never enough time....[ouch]

Too soon we were walking them up to the Land Whale.... parting hugs and a parting pix with my camera sitting on my old oil field engine and the timer set for me to get in too.  They were off to Santa Barbara and the rest of their scheduled long trip.  Paul wanted a quick trip to the Yosemite Mariposa Grove - giant Sequoias so I sent them the quickest way for their crowded schedule.



So they were off... Sassy and I crawled back into the hole from whence we came and lo and behold... a Salmon had mysteriously swam from the Land Whale all the way to our kitchen range... Hey ....Thanks guys, but you really didn't have to do that.  The pleasure was ours. 

[MountainDon]

Glad to hear it went well. I knew it was sonetime about now but lost track of the schedule in my head. Easy to do 

[glenn kangiser]

Thanks Don.  It turned out to be a great visit.  They only had about 5 hours to stay as they had some important fixed appointments along the way.  When Paul gets the Podcast up I will post a link here. 

[ben2go]

It's easy if you know how, Ben...   

Send a self addressed stamped envelope and $5 to...

....ah... what the heck... I just as well share the knowledge rather than taking it with me some day..

Hold the trout (one of the worlds most wonderful fish) upside down in your left hand if right handed and sharp knife in the right hand, point facing the fish and blade cutting edge away from you. 

Under the lower jaw (on top now since the fish is upside down) you will see two lines just inside the jawbone where it is thin and attaches the tongue to the jaw.  Stick the knife through the right side, push down a little so the blade raises the tongue and out through the left side, and slice away from you separating the tongue from the jaw.  This kind of leaves a v shaped piece with the tongue separated from the jaw but still attached near the gills.

Next cut from the butt (insert proper term here________) using the tip of the knife so as not to get into the guts slitting the belly and stopping just between the pectoral (front side)fins.  There is kind of a solid place there between the fins to stop at directly between the two.  Look at the pix of the fish above.  You will see those fins are missing. 

With the fish still held firmly in your left hand take your right thumb tip and pushing firmly against the inside toward the back bone, push your thumb forward cleaning the blood line out of the back.  The guts will be removed from the stomach cavity and sliding out on top of your thumb.  When you get to the place where the pectoral fins, gills and tongue are located, still keeping your thumb tight against the bottom, rotate your hand 180 degrees and with your index finger - kind of the side of it, stick it deep inside the front jaw gripping the guts,  tongue, gills and intact pectoral fins all together tightly, and pull.  The pectoral fins will tear off at the base of the skull and directly behind them along with the gills and guts coming out entirely clean,  wasting next to nothing (or save it for fish fertilizer..add a bit of EM and Presto. no bad smell).  A quick rinse and you are done... elapsed time appx. 30 seconds or maybe less.  [idea]

Do it soon after it is caught or keep it live on a stringer in the water, as deterioration starts immediately when the fish dies.  Done properly it should still be quivering for a while after you are done....   If you see the stomach cavity bones separating from the inside when you clean the fish you have waited too long and it will not be so good....

[bbq]

Does that all make sense or do I need to take pix or do sketches?

I think I get it.I saw a vid a while back and I think the guy was using that technique to clean fish.

[glenn kangiser]

It works great Ben.  I learned it when I was about 15 years old.

[ben2go]

I need the Under Ground Command Center designer's feed back.I was looking into options for retaining walls along the edge of my property.I see these steel mesh basket type things filled with rip rap.After stumbling upon a site, I now know they are call modular Gabion structures.From my reading,they are fairly cheap and easy to assemble by anyone,especially if they have access to natural rock resources.Would this work for the walls of a U house?From my reading,it seems highly likely.I am just not sure how well an EPDM membrane is going to like tons of stone stacked on it.

Here's my resource http://www.gabions.net/index.html

[Redoverfarm]

I need the Under Ground Command Center designer's feed back.I was looking into options for retaining walls along the edge of my property.I see these steel mesh basket type things filled with rip rap.After stumbling upon a site, I now know they are call modular Gabion structures.From my reading,they are fairly cheap and easy to assemble by anyone,especially if they have access to natural rock resources.Would this work for the walls of a U house?From my reading,it seems highly likely.I am just not sure how well an EPDM membrane is going to like tons of stone stacked on it.

Here's my resource http://www.gabions.net/index.html

I used them on top of my footers and against the wingwalls of my bridge to keep the water from eroding them.  They come in various sizes.  Make sure you get the coated wire rather than just standard to keep them from rusting.  Here is a supplier for the east coast.  Not sure whether it will help you or not.

http://www.maccaferri-northamerica.com/

They have dealership in Williamsport,MD  (301) 223-6910

[ben2go]

I used them on top of my footers and against the wingwalls of my bridge to keep the water from eroding them.  They come in various sizes.  Make sure you get the coated wire rather than just standard to keep them from rusting.  Here is a supplier for the east coast.  Not sure whether it will help you or not.

http://www.maccaferri-northamerica.com/

They have dealership in Williamsport,MD  (301) 223-6910

Thanks. My retaining wall could go one of two ways.I could build the wall roughly 1.5 feet tall with a 4 foot fence on top, or I could use the gabion and build the wall 5 or 6 feet tall with 1.5 feet below grade.I would have to allow for my two gates,36 inch walk through and a double 4 foot drive through.I like the idea of gabion because it's free standing and all that I would need to do is level the ground, due to the multi directional slope.I wanted to install a weld wire fence, but I have water and phone line that parallels my property line.I can't dig 3 feet to set posts but leveling wouldn't require any more than 1.5 feet in spots.



Sorry for jacking the thread. 

[glenn kangiser]

Jacking the thread, Ben?..... Not at all - that is the sort of thing we do here......

I don't know what type of rocks you have available but here I prefer dry stacked walls.  Gabions are not as pretty. 

I am not sure what you need to hold up but dry stack walls drain water so son't usually wash out.  There are dry stack walls around here that are over 150 years old.  There are basement retaining walls and store walls and bar walls, one even holding up Highway 49... another holding up Burma Grade since probably around 1926 or so - not sure.

Here is my great wall of China I made - 6 to 8 years ago I think- It will be a back wall to a shop and is about 8 feet or more high (Cob Backed similar to Scottish Black Houses).



The pool retaining wall is about 3.5 feet high and has been there for over 4 years.  I have a couple hundred feet of dry stack walls I have done and none have fallen.  Usual grade toward the retained material or hill is about 2 inches per 3 foot vertical.  That depends on the rock but with the Great Wall I had to go about 2 feet in 8 feet due to the roundness of the rocks.  Each rock should be well placed and self supporting back toward the earth.  As it gets taller the bottom rocks are more firmly wedged in place.

[ben2go]

Here is a pic of where I want the retaining wall.I'd like to go up 4 feet above grade.My thought was to push the bank back and set the retaining wall.I agree that dry stack does look better.I'd like to stop erosion and slow water run off.

This is looking up hill from the front property corner.It's hard to tell but it's 150 feet from where I am standing to the sign at the property corner.The road isn't mine and is poorly maintained.I don't want the owners to fault me for erosion because of their lack of up keep.

[glenn kangiser]

Whitlock and I are fishing on the Eastern Sierra at Twin Lakes near Bridgeport. The only internet access is via satellite.. The camp manager told me I couldn't hook to the internet with my phone so I had to do it....Works fine

What about a ditch and culvert crossing Ben?

[ben2go]

Whitlock and I are fishing on the Eastern Sierra at Twin Lakes near Bridgeport. The only internet access is via satellite.. The camp manager told me I couldn't hook to the internet with my phone so I had to do it....Works fine

Yeah!Show'em how it's done. 

What about a ditch and culvert crossing Ben?

Not sure what you mean by ditch and culvert crossing.That side of my property has no entrances.That grassy hump has a water line(hence the man hole) and phone line(hence the gray box in the back ground) buried and running up my property line there.The water line stops at my connection which is housed inside the manhole.The phone line is for redundancy for the abandoned trailer park, that used to be behind my property.Luckily I can confirm this first hand.My uncle works for the phone company and his youngest son(my cousin) works for the water company.That shallow ditch that runs beside the dirt road empties into a three foot deep ditch that runs down my front property line to the corner where I took the picture from.I really want a solid fence there.You can see where my neighbors back into my yard and tear up the bank.

[Barry Broome]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqYTcULE6oY

GlEnN, is this how it's done?

[ben2go]

   I think that's the vid I saw a while back.

[glenn kangiser]

Barry and Ben, yes that is exactly it except I do one thing different....

I hold it by it's back - slit belly up then instead of starting at the tongue, I put my thumb in at the other end where the vent is, run it forward tightly against the blood line cleaning it out - grab the tongue, gill, fin assembly when at the front and pull it all out gripping it between the thumb and index finger and pulling similar to as he showed you. 

I was timing it today and I was generally between 12 and 18 seconds per fish.  [ouch]

[glenn kangiser]

Ben, a good rock fence there should stop the backing onto the yard problems. 

[glenn kangiser]

Whitlock and I just returned from Fishing last night - brought back 17 between regular trout and Brookies.

I have them soaking in a brine solution right now getting ready to smoke them. 

We saw a bunch of bucks on the way over at Tuolumne Meadows.



Whitlock went over to where they were to get a pix and they came over by me.  I think there were something like nine of them.

We headed over to Twin Lakes near Bridgeport the first day.  Not a lot of wood over there by the town so fences are made from whatever is available in some places.



Nice fence..