Tom Waits Chocolate Jesus

Tom Waits Waits was on Letterman the other night, I like his style. I grew up listing and thinking he was cool, the grave yard pictures in the last couple of posts mean nothing more than I think they are a means to the end so to speak, or they are just easy to photograph and appear artistic no matter how bad the light or composition.

enduro outdoors and indoors so it is more crowd friendly.

 
I was tired just watching the video, not just the two minute intro but imagining
the course without a break. An outdoor enduro is 4 to infinite hours long and
offers road sections or easy trail to gain your breath. However it is still tough
as tacks and when you fall into a river or you bury yourself in a bog, its only
you and all the charm you can muster in a helmet and odd “get up” to find pity for
help...A new sport(enduro cross)  may not look  fast, trust me they are moving as
fast as a human can... Outdoors I have been passed by the worst of them and am
still amazed at how fast they move through the woods , rivers, creeks, rocks and
imminent peril, honest to God I have watched riders pass me through trees, through
trees! As long as the video seems the riders are enduro-ing, just when you think
its over, it has just started. This is my experience, the real riders understand
what I am trying to say, but are confused by how quickly I have come to  understand
the misery part…As far as enduros go I am the fastest when it comes to figuring
out how tough the ride is, truly. I guess I am gifted that way…




http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1736716579928975692&sourceid=zeitgeist 

Duel My Mule vs Paul Bunyan

I've got my best men on the scent of Bunyan. I challanged him to a duel and Molly Bloom has offered us a site to conduct this duel without the law trying to stop the wheels of justice. I found a pair of his drawers that were Bunyans when he was a child of two, with this I hope to find him and defend my honor. Visit Duel to witness the duel and true justice. Feel free to comment offer advice or just root me on, cause we all know Bunyan is a bad seed. Kind Regards JW

I Find No Solace In Comfort Food

True comfort food, the shrimp boil, recipe from a friend who is pictured dumping the damn shimps. This post is inspired by Thanksgiving and what some call comfort food. To me deep fried Turkey is not traditional but more accepted than a damn shimp boil? The world makes no sense but at least I understand this to be true.

Recipe from a good friend of mine in Alabama...Color illustrations by JW.
Imperative to read recipe 1st and have everything ready beforehand. The trick is more technique than ingredients. Especially since the cook is often just as drunk as the peasants by the time the water first comes to a boil.

All these are approximate:
- large pot 1/2 to no more than 2/3 full of rapidly boiling water, preferably with strainer basket (Sam's Club sells the same stainless steel rig we used last summer in AL for about $70 bucks including propane burner stand, a great deal - and worth it even for only 1 boil)
- Powdered type cajun crab/shrimp boil, e.g. Zatarain's etc., whatever is available, use according to package directions - eyeball it; it usually comes in a plastic bag ( DO NOT USE THE CORNMEAL-BASED FISH FRY MIX - THE PACKAGES LOOKS VERY SIMILAR )
- 1-2 sliced lemons
- 1/4 lb. smoked sausage/person, cut into 2-3 in. lengths
- 1 or 2 small to medium red potatoes/person, whole or halved, unpeeled
- 1 or 2 small whole onions/person, unpeeled
- 1 or 2 ears of corn/person, shucked
- 1/2 lb. shrimp/person, unpeeled
- Coctail dipping sauce: a good bit of ketchup, add some mustard, horseradish, and a dash each of worchestershire, lemon juice and tabasco type sauce; adjust all to taste

Directions: to boiling water add cajun crab/shrimp boil seasoning (stand back, it will boil up on you), sliced lemons, sausage, taters, onions and corn. Return to boil, adjust heat to low boil, let cook for 30 min. Remove stuff from pot and drain. Return heat to high. Spread sausage and vegetables onto a table thickly covered wtih clean newspaper, preferably on somewhat level ground. When pot returns to a rapid boil, add shrimp. When about 1/2 or more of the shrimp float to the top, IMMEDIATELY shut off heat, remove and drain shrimp, and spread on top of the other stuff on the table. Stand back, and chug an entire beer while the peasants attack the table with their bare hands.


I am not a big fan of comfort food. This is comfort food season and I could give a rats ass. Give me your Mexican, Greek, Italian ,Thia,Chi, Jap,Mong...hell give me almost all of your huddled mass's of ethnic food, but spare me the comfort food. Comfort food lacks zing. Comfort food is fat filled, sans the reward of taste. Comfort food does not nor will it ever float my culinary boat. My kingdom for a shrimp boil this Thanksgiving! However I have learned to spice to taste and without shame. Have hot sauce will eat comfort food. Happy Holidays From a man with a poor sense of smell and taste, I lay abandoned, alone in the land of comfort food. God have mercy on my wretched soul...Kind regards JW

Enduro the Sport of Kings

Enduro New Paris Nov 4/5

I by chance happen to ride the bike (250 KTM EXC) pictured below when it is not hobbled by a flat. The exact moment I took this photo the bike had a flat, mild flat it took my lithe frame to create the true flat profile. Enough so that I decided to call it a day since I did not have tools or tube to fix the damn thing. Frank helped me fix it that night with a couple of screw drivers, no kidding, I saw the screw drivers but was terrified at the prospect of puncturing the tube myself or even worse, Franks new home.
This is Frank, the owner of the Raptor trailor and my advisor, he tells me when things are broken or flat, for some reason most of the time I just dont know. I am not saying I am stupid but maybe a little thick at times. Frank has me by about 8 years and beats me everytime racing enduro unless he breaks down, only if he breaks down. He is holding the hose which drains the toliet, shower and sink holding tanks, in that order, which cleans the hose, kinda. I am documenting, so maybe I am not as stupid as I might think.
Dave is holding the yellow tail, Kirkwood the cutlery, Frank the pose waiting for me to stop the nonsense so we could eat. As you see and read enduro is the sport of kings. I was hoping someone would email me some action shots but so far nothing, my best side is with a helmet on, fascinating huh?