Doc Mark
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08-02-10 05:24 PM - Post#143533
Greetings, Friends,
I hope you will indulge me in this, as I have 37 photos to post for our most recent CA Stove Gathering #3!! In fact, I could post more, but I know that others will also want to add their own photos, so here are those from Sweet Bride and me.
Our most recent Gathering was held at the Mid-Hills Campground, at 5,600 feet in elevation, in the Mojave National Preserve. This is in the Mojave Desert. Usually, at this time of year, February, deserts weather is wonderful, with balmy, warm days, and chilly, clear nights. Our weather for the Gathering was a little "off normal", with lots of rain, fog, sleet, very high winds, and snow!! But, that did not deter our hardy band of Stovies, all of whom came to have a good time together, despite the weather!!
Here is a shot of the camp that Sweet Bride set up. We have our large canvas fly, from the Living History hobby, plus our TNF VE-25, which we've owned for almost 30 years, and a newer TNF Mountain 25, which we bought for a very good price a few years ago.
We brought the two expedition tents just for fun. Our old VE-25 was beginning to take on a bit of a Urethene smell, and we at least wanted to air it out, which worked perfectly. We slept the first two nights in the Mountain 25, and the last night in the VE-25, after a melted a bit of the door zipper on the M-25, with our Primus Micon lantern!!    
The Flivver Family had arrived the day before, and setup camp. We were next to arrive, followed by Ron, and Mr. and Mrs. Bernie Dawg. Here, we all share some fun conversation, and some warmth, underneath our canvas fly. Note the items which are providing the heat!   
Did you spot the Tilley R-1 bowlfire, and our wonderful Optimus 510 4-burner stove?!! We also had one of the devil's inventions, a propane heater, donated by Mr. and Mrs. Dawg! Say what you will, it was flat-out wonderful!!  
Stay tuned for more....
Take care, and God Bless!
Every Good Wish,
Doc
| The only thing that can never be taken away from you, is your honor. Cherish it, in yourself, and in others. |
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mr optimus
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08-02-10 05:41 PM - Post#143536
Hi Doc fantastic pics of a really good gathering with the tilley R-1 and the optimus 4 burner running you all must of been as warm as toast.
I have been looking forward to seeing some pics of it running must of sounded like 747 taking off lol many thanks for sharing them i certainly am looking forward to the rest superb Doc 
Best regards Brian harlow essex
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rik_uk3
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08-02-10 05:53 PM - Post#143538
Great pictures Mark, and don't worry about the gas heater; I've got one down on my winter kit list too 
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Doc Mark
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08-02-10 06:02 PM - Post#143540
Howdy, All,
More photos from our just completed CASG3.
Our first breakfast consisted of some thick-sliced bacon, eggs, Sweet Bride's fresh-baked biscuits, complements of our beloved 1924 Bluebird oven and a fine Coleman 426D stove, and hot tea. Here our old Mirro non-stick, folding-handled flying pan does the cooking duties, perched atop our nice old 1947 Coleman Speedmaster 500. Very few, if any, stoves can compete with the Speedmaster when it comes to simmering, and we used this fine old workhorse for much of our cooking at the Gathering.
 
One of our Optimus 81 Trapper stoves did tea duty on most days, as well as some cooking. GREAT little stove, and still a favorite of both Sweet Bride and me!
After breakfast, I got out my Primus Omnifuel stove, and tried out one of Bernie Dawg's brand new Omni-Dawg caps for it! Gary is, quite honestly and simply, a real Master at developing caps like this, and when he asked if I'd please test one of his new Omni-Dawg's, I JUMPED at the chance!!! This was the first run for this cap, and I was a bit worried about really pumping some horsepower into it. But, later use showed me that I needn't have been concerned, at all! In fact, once I had this cap setting square on the Omnifuel, we used that for cooking, too, as it work very well, indeed!! I can see that this combination is fast on it's way to becoming one of our favorites, and Gary has yet another fantastic winning offering in his menu of silent burner caps!!! I'm not sure if he will actually put this cap into complete development, as it is more time intensive than some others, and the cost involved may well be higher. However, I'm VERY happy to have time one, even if it turns out to be a "one of" prototype!!
  
We setup in two camps, one a few yards from the other. Here is the fettling tent that Bernie and Mrs. Dawg erected in camp #2, which they shared with Sweet Bride and me.
Here, Sweet Bride and Mrs Dawg enjoy the warmth of two heaters under their table in our canvas fly, and watch us do some fettling under the fettling tent.
Ron is having a fine time under the fettling fly! Gary gave him a few lessons in metal brazing, and Ron did very well, indeed!
And, here is Bernie Dawg, himself, the Master of the silent caps!!! I now have several of his offerings, two mini, one midi, and one new OmniDawg cap, and all of them are the "cat's meow"!! I'm looking forward to many years of using and enjoying them. Many thanks, Gary, for creating these wonderful caps, offering them to the rest of us Stovies, and for your kind and sharing nature at our Gathering!
More to come...... Take care, and God Bless!
Every Good Wish,
Doc
| The only thing that can never be taken away from you, is your honor. Cherish it, in yourself, and in others. |
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RonPH
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Doc Mark
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08-02-10 06:18 PM - Post#143543
Hi, Guys,
Yet more photos of our Gathering.
After some fettling, Hikin' Jim FINALLY got around to making some breakfast for himself! Here, he's just finished making his first omelet on a SVEA 123/Sigg Tourist cookset combo! Ummmmm.... Looks delicious, and as you can see from the second photo, Jim is VERY please with the results of this "made in Heaven" stove/cookset combination!!
 
Over in camp #1, Flivver had erected, not only his regular wonderful canvas tent, but also a 10x10, very high, dome tent, which he later presented as a gift to the Dawg Family! Mr and Mrs Flivver, and their son, Furry Flivver, also offered nightly popcorn popping inside this tent. Here, Mike is showing us his very rare, and wonderful Vesuvius stove. This thing is very nice, indeed, and works like a real champ, with the addition of one of Bernie Dawg's fantastic silent caps!
  
Here, Mrs Flivver pops up some delicious popcorn, using an original popcorn popper from the 1920's, and Mike's venerable favorite, his old Coleman Speedmaster 500! The troops mowed through bowl after bowl, almost as fast as Mrs Flivver could pop them!!
Back at camp #2, Bernie and Mrs Dawg enjoy some hot beverage, compliments of one of the most popular stoves around, a venerable Optimus 111! I also included a nice "cherry red" photo of that fantastic stove! I can't imagine that ANYONE would not love owning and using one of these old workhorse stoves. They are reliable, hot-burning, simmer well, and easy to use. What more do you need, right!?!! 
 
More to come..... Take care, and God Bless!
Every Good Wish,
Doc
| The only thing that can never be taken away from you, is your honor. Cherish it, in yourself, and in others. |
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flivver
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08-02-10 06:40 PM - Post#143547
Hi all: Here's Doc demonstrating stove accessories to Gary (Bernie Dawg).
| "The least common human commodity is common sense" - Mark Twain - 1880's |
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Doc Mark
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08-02-10 07:01 PM - Post#143551
Greetings, Friends,
More of our Gathering photos. As with all Stove Gatherings, both here in the US, in the UK, and everywhere else, much of our enjoyment revolves around FOOD!! Our recent Gathering was no different, and we all got together for a pot-luck dinner on Saturday afternoon. We had originally planned to host it under our canvas fly, but once the sides were dropped, there wasn't enough room. So, each person cooked where ever they could, and brought the food to the canvas fly, underwhich everyone loaded their plates! The rain we'd had most of the morning actually let-up during our meal (thank you, Lord!), and so we could all gather around the fettling fly and eat our food there, standing up!!
Bernie Dawg and his wonderful wife, Mrs Dawg, and Mac (Arch).
Sweet Bride and Mrs Flivver, munching away, quite happily!
Ron and Hikin' Jim.
Flivver is trying to decide how many more of Ron's delicious spicy sausages he can stuff in!
And, here's a group shot of all of us, very contentedly enjoying the fine food, and wonderful company of our merry band of Stovies and Mrs Stovies!!
Our menu included:
eggplant and tofu curry with couscous and pine nuts; chili relleno and egg casserole; fresh tomatoes; sauteed squash; sauteed collard greens and snow peas; turkey chili; spicy Phillipino pork sausages; ground beef and brown rice pasta saute; grits. I think that's it, but may have forgotten something. There was SO much to eat, and all of it was simply delicious!! Also, we "took no prisoners", either, and everything was cleaned up to the very end of the pots!! Ummmm!!! Thanks to one and all, for the inventive and very tasty offerings that you brought to the pot-luck dinner!!
Here's a shot of our canvas fly, all buttoned up against the blowing wind and rain. Our weather respite, so we could enjoy our potluck dinner, was a real blessing!
Here's a peek down into the desert from our 5,600 foot camping spot in camp #2. After the rain, fog, and snow began to fall, we rarely had any views, at all. So this was sort of a nice dessert to our fine comestibles!!
Here is a group photo of our fine group of friends! We could not have asked for better company, with each person eagerly jumping in to help where ever help was needed, and maintaining and happy countenance and positive spirit, despite our less than "perfect" weather conditions!!
Left to right:
Ron, Hikin' Jim, Mr and Mrs Mac, Mr and Mrs Bernie Dawg, Mr and Mrs Flivver, Sweet Bride and Doc.
Definitely not to be left out, was our official CASG Mascot, Furry Flivver, aka Charlie! Like everyone else, he reveled in the company, and was a happy and positive camp mate, despite the inclement weather. On the last day, we awoke to no rain, but everything was foggy, and the ground was totally frozen. We heard Flivver outside out tent, talking to Bernie Dawg, and so zipped open the fly of the VE-25, to say, "Hi". Furry Flivver saw me do so, and immediately ran over to give my stubbled chin a "good morning" licking!!! What a fine companion he was!! In this shot, which took place on one of the Flivver Familie's popcorn nights, Charlie is intently praying that SOMEONE will drop some popcorn so we can sneak a treat, even though he is only to be fed by Mr and Mrs Flivver!! 
Ron was the first to leave on Sunday morning, followed Mr and Mrs Bernie Dawg, as they had the longest drives to get back home. Hikin' Jim, the Flivver Family, Sweet Bride and I, decided to try and get to Mitchell Caverns, to enjoy a guided tour, before heading for home. In the end, we missed the 10AM tour by a mere 20 minutes, and so all went our ways, with HJ staying behind to do..... what else? I little more HIKIN' before heading home!! Here is a shot of our stalwart band, getting ready to leave the Mid-Hills Campground. Yep, we got a little something for the road: SNOW!
To all those who made the efforts to attend our CASG#3, I offer my heartfelt and sincere thanks and gratitude!! You Guys and Gals are, quite simply, cut from the best of cloth, and Sweet Bride and I are honored and happy to call you our dear Friends!! Well done, to one and all, and for all that you each offered at the Gathering!! Ron had a bit of driving to do to get home, and Mr and Mrs Dawg had a TON of driving ahead of them, having driven all the way down from Oregon to attend this Gathering!!! You can't ask for better commitment than that, Folks!!! '
Both Sweet Bride and I had a wonderful adventure with you all, and we're already looking forward to our next chance to share your fine company, Friends!! As we discussed at the Gathering, we are going to try and make this a semi-annual event, with the locations, each year, chosen by those who have made the efforts to attend our Gatherings. For those that missed this year's event, do yourself a real favor, and make the effort to join us at the next one! No matter the weather, you will NOT be sorry you did!!
Thanks for putting up with all these photos, CCS Mates! I hope they offer a small bit of the flavor we all savored at our CASG3#!! Take care, and God Bless!
Every Good Wish,
Doc and Sweet Bride
| The only thing that can never be taken away from you, is your honor. Cherish it, in yourself, and in others. |
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Doc Mark
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08-02-10 07:21 PM - Post#143552
Hi, All,
Please forgive my spelling errors in the above posts! I have been trying to get the photos ready, resized, and posted, for several hours, and all told, I was typing as quickly as I could and made some fumbled finger errors. Duh.....!!   I hope you understand what I MEANT to say, even with the fumbles. Take care, and God Bless!
Doc
| The only thing that can never be taken away from you, is your honor. Cherish it, in yourself, and in others. |
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Blackdog
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08-02-10 07:21 PM - Post#143553
Many thanks, great photos of what looked to be a truely great gathering! Lovely stoves and tents, and the weather just makes it more interesting
I must say I like the Vesuvius stove very much, with its beautiful pan ring. It is in such a nice condition too, not new looking and over-polished.
It certainly looked like great fun was had by all, glad you enjoyed it!
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flivver
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08-02-10 07:34 PM - Post#143555
Flivvers camp
Mrs Doc (Sweetbride) and Mrs Flivver
Mrs Flivvers kitchen
Clayton&Lambert cooking cook up a great feast (walnuts in fry pan)
Some of Flivvers stuff
Mrs Flivver getting ready for hot coco
Bernie Dawg's camp
| "The least common human commodity is common sense" - Mark Twain - 1880's |
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Jim Henderson
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08-02-10 08:13 PM - Post#143560
Jealous jealous jealous and darn you guys. I dearly would have loved snow camping. Maybe not so much wind and rain camping. But, I am sure I did the wise thing since my leg certainly would not have liked the cold and standing about.
Thanks for the pictures. MORE Pics needed tho.
Where and when is CASG4?
Jim Henderson
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b-gin
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08-02-10 08:18 PM - Post#143562
Dang...I almost said "the hell with it" and come on out...wish I did anyway. Ohhh well. Hope the CASG is closer to home.
b-gin
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presscall
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08-02-10 08:30 PM - Post#143564
Bravo, all. Superb set of pics all round. Thank you!
John
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Matukat
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 08-02-10 08:43 PM - Post#143568
Looks like a great time and thanks for the great pics! Still a little on the cold side though... :-)
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it,"
- Evelyn Beatrice Hall (an Englishwoman...)
Remember "Freedom of Speech"? I do. |
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Doc Mark
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08-02-10 09:03 PM - Post#143573
Dang...I almost said "the hell with it" and come on out...wish I did anyway. Ohhh well. Hope the CASG is closer to home.
b-gin
Hey b-gin,
It would have been great to see you there! Actually, SLO is not that far from where we were. Ron lives up in San Jose, and he did just fine. And, Mr and Mrs Dawg drove down from OREGON!! So, the drive from SLO would have been a piece of cake!
We don't know where our next Gathering will be, but so far, we've discussed the Montana De Oro Campground, South of Morro Bay, where our first Gathering was held; the mountains above Kingman, Arizona; someplace up in Oregon, to be chosen by the Dawgs; and the Grand Canyon. Those that attended CASG2 very much enjoyed the Dogwood Campground, up in our own mountains, so that one was also mentioned as a fine place to have another Gathering. We'll see where we end up having the next events, and will post that info here, as soon as it's decided. But, in truth, no matter where it's held, unless Stovies make the commitment to be there and be a part of it, they are missing out on the very reason we all love our stoves so very much, AND they are missing out on the company of some outstanding folks, too!! For what it's worth.... Take care, and God Bless!
Every Good Wish,
Doc
| The only thing that can never be taken away from you, is your honor. Cherish it, in yourself, and in others. |
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itchy
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08-02-10 09:19 PM - Post#143577
What a great bunch. It is fun to see some faces.
Thanks
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mbechtel
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08-02-10 10:28 PM - Post#143586
What a great set of pics Doc and Flivver! It makes my itch for spring all that more itchy!
Thanks for sharing them! Action shots are ALWAYS the best pics!
Matt
Too many stoves? Is that possible?
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Doc Mark
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08-02-10 11:07 PM - Post#143591
Hey, Guys,
Thanks, very much! It was more fun than the photos show, actually. The inclement weather just brought us closer together, and we all were thankful that we'd made the journey to Mid-Hills!
I forgot to say in my report, that Hikin' Jim snuck into the campground, and VERY quietly setup his tent, around midnight of Thursday, I think, and that Arch and his lovely Bride arrived a little later that day. Again, our CCS Crew was well represented by some very quality folks! More photos to come, I believe, so stay tuned to this station. Take care, and God Bless!
Every Good Wish,
Doc (who is now clean, but still tired. But, it's a sort of "happy tired", so I'm rather enjoying it. Sweet Bride and I are planning more such camps, as we can squeeze them into our work schedule.)
| The only thing that can never be taken away from you, is your honor. Cherish it, in yourself, and in others. |
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 Spiritburner
Site Founder
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08-02-10 11:56 PM - Post#143594
Great to see you all had a great time! Fantastic to see stovies getting together like this!
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