May/June 2013 Features

This is my first attempt at making a lock from scratch I have built locks from unfinished parts that I purchased and I used any machine that I could to access to build them. I was going to build a conventional leaf spring musket size lock using hand tools as much as possible and forging the springs and other parts. But after thinking it over I talked myself into using coil springs from the hardware store and scraps of steel that I have around.

Remember your first pocket knife? I was a farm kid, and everyone carried a folding knife. Pocket knives were an indispensable tool. They opened feed sacks, cut twine on straw bales, peeled an apple, cut fishing line, or was just used for whittling. They did most cutting chores. Like it was yesterday, I remember the time when my father came home from a trip to town with three small jack knives. They had two blades (a clip and a pen), and the handle covers were some type of plastic, in yellow, blue, and green. I chose the "yellar" one, and man, was I proud.

Teepees are one of the oldest American traditions, a unique way to camp. Making a teepee seems daunting and full of trial and errors. For those who enjoy primitive camping, this article may be for you. I will admit that building a teepee and using it as your shelter will come with many trials and errors, but if you have determination this can be a very exclusive way to camp. This article is just an overview of how to fabricate, set up and not make the same mistakes we made during our outing.

Texas style link sausage, the real homemade stuff, comes in many variation and types. I have been around it all of my life and tried many recipes, maybe hundreds of recipes. Both sets of my grandparents made their own homemade sausage and they were very good, but were of different styles as they came from different parts of Central Texas. There are many recipes for the different regions and ethnic groups of Texas. I came to favor those made by certain groups from Central Texas such as Llano, Mason, Fredericksburg and areas in between.

Twenty-two years ago I was a news photographer in Kentucky with a wife, two kids and persistent dreams of living the simple life. Unfortunately, we were living in a 21 room Antebellum mansion in the town of Danville. Everyday I had a deadline at 9 A.M. Life was anything but simple. Then our world fell apart. We got divorced soon moved back to our home state of Oregon. I ended up on the east side while my ex-wife and kids went to a college town in the Williamette Valley eight hours away. These were tough times, but I was able to spend lots of time with the kids throughout the following school years.

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