Are You Tired of Pots Yet?

**ETA** I found out, thanks to Fant, Roger, and DC that these two pots are made by Lodge. Still dunno how old they are, but they tell me that "we" know that they're Lodge because of the "L" shape of the bail handle thingies! ;)

Well...here are the two little pots that I bought the other day. There are no markings, and really didn't excite me at first, but they're good, sound little pots, and I'm happy to have rescued them from that shed where there were most certainly doomed!

The bottom of the "10". The marks are from setting on a rack of some kind and not in the metal itself. The markings are:

10

C0

D

The lid...the "10" is the only mark of any kind. There are no markings or anything substantial inside either of the pots.

Side view of the 10. Doesn't really look any different than the 8, shown below.

The "8". Just above the 8 is a lightly engraved "7".

The bottom of the 8...again the marks are from a rack of some kind. Under the "8" is "C0"

Side view of the 8. Both pots are poorly seasoned....I don't think there's rust on them. Could be wrong, of course, it could be that they oiled rusty pots. We'll find out when I clean them. I don't think either pot has ever been used....

Explaining the Previous Posts of Photos!

You've read my previous post about my new obsession, Dutch oven cooking. A few days ago, a friend told us about a camp oven that was for sale on Craig's list. I went looking...the pot was listed....with a photo showing the original sticker in the bottom of the inside of the pot. I was pretty jazzed when I called the guy and he told me that he did have 3 pots. He was going to leave to go fishing though, and told me to call him the next morning, (yesterday) at about 7. I waited until about 7:20....and called. Answering machine! I left my polite message. I hung up and gritted my teeth, trying to be patient and not imagine the worst.
I called at 8. Answering machine. Didn't leave a message.
I called at 9. Answering machine. Didn't leave a message.
Called at 10. Answering machine. Didn't leave a message...but my panic was starting to mount. What if he'd sold the pots? He'd said they were going to be first come, first serve. For the price he was asking, it was entirely possible. What if he recognised my number and didn't want to deal with a weepy woman sobbing out an "Ok...well thank you then...."
I didn't call again. I remained hopeful, but that was starting to wane...and then it happened. At 12:30, he called. He was back from fishing...had caught a fish...had a couple of bites...yes, he still had all the pots. I put William on the phone to get directions. WHEW! We made arrangements for an hour off work and left to go get MY pots!

It was quite a ways out in the boonies, but we finally pulled into his yard. We did the introductions and hand shaking, and all the while I wanted to scream at him, "You've made me wait long enough, dammit! Where are the pots?"

He stepped away, into an open, lean-to type shed, and started handing out pots. There were four with legs. There was one without. There was a skillet that was Wagner Ware, aluminum maybe? Silver colored exterior, black inside, not heavy at all. I bought the four pots with legs. He threw in a Wagner griddle.

I came home in seventh heaven. Now I have new friends from all over helping me to decide what to do with these pots. I kind of want to keep them, but I want pots I can cook in, and taking the sticker out of the one pot will take away some of the value. I hate to ruin the pot for a true collector, so I won't be using that one.

The other pots that I will clean and season. I'm not at all sure about the two little pots. Have no idea of how old they are or who made them. I'm betting that I have new friends that will help me to find out! :) My most sincere thanks to them!

Oh! And the reason that I posted the previous two posts with just pictures of the pots? Some of the folks trying to help me identify and value these pots couldn't see the photos that I posted in the forums...so I gave them a link to my blog! Thanks so much everyone! :)

Wagner Pot #2

This is the second Wagner, obviously used!

Same message as before...I'll be back later to fill you in!

The Sticker Pot

For those of you that have no idea what this post is about, I'll be back later to fill you in! :)

We Went Scouting Today....

Nope! Nothing to do with Boy or Girl Scouts, altho both are highly admirable organizations! (My oldest son was a Life Scout, and my youngest an Eagle)
We went looking for new campgrounds to try out. Had a great time just hanging out with William and seeing the sights that to be seen when you're in the Newberry Crater area of Oregon. Fasinating place!

William and Jake at the Obsidian flow.

The hillside at the Obsidian flow...hard to see, but there's a LOT of black glass on that hillside!

My goofy, adorable, ever-so-sweet husband, behind a large Obsidian boulder.

William at Paulina Lake.

Jake loved biting at the weeds that were washing up to shore at Paulina Lake! It was hilarious....until we went to get in the car! Dogs have absolutely NO sense of political correctness when they're wet and drippy! NONE!

We went to the top of Paulina Peak, at the rim of the cauldron...What fantastic views!
~happy lil sigh~ Ain't he handsome? :)

Don't panic! It's just a fat girl with a poodle! This is Jake and I at the Deschutes River.

A view of both Paulina Lake and East Lake from Paulina Peak. We'll be camping down there next week! (Note to self: Bring long johns!)

This is the oldest tree in the state of Oregon! They estimate it's age a about 500 years, it's height at 165 feet, it's diameter at 8.6 feet, and board feet at over 25,000! It's got a lot of character, this tree....wish you could see it in real life!

So here's the skinny! We're going camping/fishing at Paulina lake next Tues-Weds. Anyone want to join us? I'll be cooking in the dutch ovens...and hopefully we'll catch a fish or two! The state record for a brown trout came from Paulina Lake...a 28 1/2 pounder caught in 2002...it's time to break that record, I'm thinking! (I'm also thinking that if *I* can be the one to break that record, that William won't let me go fishing anymore with him! NOT necessarily a bad thing!! ~grin~)

Let Me Introduce You to Walton Lake!

Just a few images of the beautiful lake that is nestled in the mountains of Central Oregon. I enjoyed our camping trip here last week. Well...to be more honest about things...I enjoyed cooking in my Dutch ovens during this trip last week....wouldn't you know it? I forgot to take photos of the FOOD AGAIN!!

That dot you see in the lake? That's my sweet hubby doing his fishing thing! He caught a few too!

All of these photos were taken by me standing just outside of our camper in the campground at Walton Lake...absolutely beautiful country!

My New Obsession!

Cast iron! In particular, DUTCH OVENS!



I've cooked with cast iron for years. I learned to cook in cast iron. I love my cast iron! I admit, I allowed myself to be lured away from it for a time....teflon was attractive to me! That whole "no stick, easy wipe LIGHTWEIGHT" allure... Then I discovered that while my cast iron sat unloved in the cabinet, I was spending lotsa dollars on that teflon crap! Had to replace it every year or so... and to top it off, I find out that it's not only not good for you health-wise (did you know that Americans have high levels of teflon in their blood? And it doesn't break down?) our landfills are FULL of the stuff! Microscopic particles of teflon floating around in your home will kill your pet birds if you have them. I have cast iron that is generations old. Would you want to cook in a teflon pan that is from the early 1900's? I wouldn't. And yet, some of the cast iron being used out there today is from the 1800's!

So I went back to my cast iron. I have a skillet that is so well seasoned that I think I could cook an egg in it with no oil...and it wouldn't stick! All of my skillets are now cast iron. No more teflon. Ever. Period. Wouldn't even consider arguing about it.

Then we bought...."The Man Cave". That's what we call the camper trailer. Gonna paint that on the side of it even. Along with "Remember the GUY CODE" on the back of it. But I digress. (And THE GUY CODE is a subject for another post)



Anyway....we bought the man cave. That meant camping. That meant that I was going to have to go out and experience nature. Nature Girl, I'm not. Don't like it. Bugs bug me. Cold is something I don't deal with in a likeable and cheerful manner. So we compromised. I would go camping if we could eat something other than hotdogs and hamburgers. We had a Dutch oven. Let's put it to use!



So out it comes from the back of the cabinet. Into the sink for a good scrubbing, onto the stovetop for a "flame-dry", and then a good coat of Crisco before making it's way to the outside grill for a high temp (500 degree) "bake". (Also known as "seasoning") Let the pot bake for an hour and then cool down again. Another coat of Crisco and back on the grill for another bake!



By the end of the second bake, the pot was black and shiny. It was also non-stick. We went camping and took the precious 12D pot with us. Looked for a recipe prior to going and found Byron's website ( http://papadutch.home.comcast.net/~papadutch/ ). From that website I found an easy recipe for Orange Peach Cobbler. It was YUMMY!!!! We stayed home the next week, but the week after that we were off and running again. This time, we went with not only the ever precious 12D....we also had a new 10 inch pot. Along with taking along the regular kitchen black pots....a legless 10 inch DO, a legless chicken fryer, and a skillet.



Oh my, did we have plans! We invited 3 couples to join us, and one of them brought 3 teenagers! In the afternoon, I started a large pork roast. Took two sets of coals to cook it til it shredded easily. It smelled sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo good! After it cooled a bit, we shredded it, rolled it with some cheese in flour tortillas, and then smothered it in the green chili and more cheese...baked again for about 45 minutes. LOVED IT! Also baked a berry cobbler in one of the other ovens for desert...along with homemade vanilla icecream. YUM!

Last week, it was a Tex/Mex casserole with a Pina Colada cobbler for desert. Again...it was yummy!

I'm loving this Dutch oven stuff. There are tons of Dutch Oven websites out there...I have a few links...check them out, or Google "Dutch oven cooking". You don't have to camp to use `em! We've even cooked in the backyard with the black pots. Good stuff!

OMG! WHAT WAS I THINKING?

Allow me to lay a bit of groundwork first. We used to go camping when I was a kid. Tomboy....dirt....I was ok with it then.
My ex was an outdoor kinda guy. Hunting, fishing, camping. EVERY weekend. Our freaking honeymoon was a weeklong backpacking trip!
Tents all the way too. As in sleep on the ground, in a tent, rain or shine. As I began to dislike him, I started to resist. I'm not an outside kinda girl. I don't like bugs. I don't like being cold. campfires are ok, BUT I hate the smoke.
Pretty safe to say that I do NOT like camping! Full fledged "don'wanna!" Completely "EWWWWWWWWWW! May I go get a mamography instead?"
Then...yesterday. Ah...yesterday. We went and looked. He liked it. I even thought it was acceptable. It's coming home with us on Saturday. We'll be doing a lot of camping to justify it. I'm thrilled about that aspect, let me tell ya....so excited I could just pee my pants. Except that I don't have to....this has a potty! Let me show you our new aquisition.... she's not new, but she's clean and like new.











Now call me silly, but I'd say that the aquisition of this delightful jewel of campers is a pretty good sign that I love my husband, since he likes me to go with him. And he loves camping and stuff.

I'm nervous about it, as I am anytime I purchase something on time. In another lifetime, I had a few bills that I couldn't pay right away, and that bothers me beyond bothered. I fret about it. I worry about it. I panic if it looks like I'm going to be the slightest bit late with a payment. But there I was, signing my name on that line. It's ours now. And for what it's costing us, WE'RE GOING TO USE IT AND HAVE FUN DAMMIT! ~GRIN~ (Ok...so I'm a LITTLE BIT excited!)

I'm going to make some kind of slipcover for the couches. They're not terrible, but they're that nubby kind of material. Our little dog, Jake, has this tendancy to try to "fluff" his bed before he lays on it. His little nails catch in the fabric and tear it up. I'm going to make new curtains for it too. The ones in it already are ugly. We'll need to purchase a few things for it...but for the most part I already have everything we'll need to put in it.

So there you have it. Our little home away from home. Our retreat. My concession to go camping with the man that I love more than life itself.... Gonna be a good summer... :)

Home again, Home again, Jiggety Jig!

Nine days! Long time to be away from William and home...and while it was a wonderful trip, I'm so glad to be back! I sure missed his hugs and kisses!

Shirley and I decided that we needed to make a trip to Colorado to visit with an elderly cousin of our dad's...she's 85, and we so wanted to spend some time with her! In planning the trip, we decided that I would meet Shirley in Las Vegas, since she lives in San Diego, and I live in Oregon. We would then take off from there in her hubby's truck and drive to Salt Lake City, where we'd explore the Family History Library for a couple of days, and then take off from there to go to Colorado to see "Aunt" Edna. (We were raised to call all adult relatives and close friends by "Aunt" or "Uncle"...so even tho she's technically "Cousin Edna" we call her "Aunt")

VEGAS! GAMBLING!! I love to gamble. Didn't get to. Oh well...a little disappointing, but not the purpose of the trip...right? That first night was a bear. By the time I claimed my luggage, we got to the truck, got a bite to eat it was midnight when I got to the room. We talked a bit and got to bed, since we wanted an early start. Not only was the room at Howard Johnson's filthy, but it was noisy. We heard every door slam, people talking and yelling, car alarms right outside the room... I do NOT recommend this place for anyone staying in Vegas!!

Monday the 14th, we loaded up! What fun! Our adventure was about to start! We stuffed that truck...





We were off and running! After a long day's drive to Salt Lake City, we were exhausted, and dropped into bed after grabbing a quick bite at Subway.





Up the next morning, we headed out to take Shirley's puppy to doggy day care, and then headed for the library. We'd seen a map with a parking lot that wasn't too far to walk, just around the block and across the street from the library. Pulled in there, found a good spot and unloaded our "stuff" that we needed for our research.





The library was awe-inspiring! We sat thru a simple presentation of stuff that we already knew how to do, pretty much a "how to start" video, and then we headed straight for the books. They don't allow photos in the library itself, but they do allow photos in the main lobby. One of the Elders that was there to help direct people took the photo for us in front of the desk. (photo taken the second day)

After a long first day at the library, we looked out the window and saw snow falling. Hard. We headed for the truck, which wasn't far as the crow flies, but about a two block walk if you mind your manners and stay on the sidewalk. Neither of us had brought a coat, and I was wearing a short sleeved sweater that first day. By the time we got back to the truck, the front of my sweater was a beautiful "crystally" white! We went and picked up the puppy at day care and headed back to the motel room. As we came up on the block where the motel was, I looked off to my right. Looking up again and slightly to the left, I saw the motel. Looked back to the right. Sure enough! That was where we'd parked the truck....less than half a block from the motel!! So much for paying attention and being efficient! The next day we parked in a lot closer to the library!

If you're interested in genealogy, and have the opportunity to go, DO NOT PASS this experience up! Millions of books and microfilms...literally. And very well organized! It took us a day to kind of get the hang of things, we didn't find much...and the second day wasn't nearly long enough to find as much as we wanted! It takes some time to find your film numbers in the long rows of drawers....and the same for the books. A week wouldn't be a long enough time to stay there...two weeks wouldn't be long enough either...I think maybe I need to move to Salt Lake to live...so that I could go everyday!

Then we took off for Delta, Colorado where Aunt Edna lives. Along the way we stopped at a rest area where the maintenance man addressed us both as "gorgeous" and was just generally a nice, but slightly myopic, and a little whacked man. He told us that if we had the time, we should go five miles down the road and go to the petroglyphs just past the town of Thompson Springs. We perked up at that...both of us love that kind of stuff!

We went the five miles and took the exit for Thompson Springs, Utah. As we drove through, we discovered that it is little more than a ghost town!

As we drove, Shirley, who is more cautious than I am, asked, "What if he's a serial killer? This is pretty desolate, what if he's waiting for us?" I've lived my life in small towns where we often don't bother to lock the doors...so this never occured to me until she said something, but in this day and age, it was a point to ponder, and it was the start of lots of nervous giggles, along with a decision that if he was there when we got there, we were leaving!

He wasn't there. But the petroglyphs and pictographs were! Along with graffiti, of course...

FASINATING! We both wished that we'd have had more time to wander and hike around a bit, but the road was calling to us, so we hit the dusty once more!

We got into Delta at about 5 pm, and after we checked into the motel, we called Aunt Edna, who at 85, still drives, and came immediately to meet us at the motel. What a cute little woman she is! And so sweet too. We went to dinner, chatted for a bit, and then went back to the room and went to bed. Being in Delta felt like being "home".

Aunt Edna

On Friday, we went to Aunt Edna's, where she had bacon, eggs, and waffles waiting for us for breakfast. YUM! She showed us some of her treaures, things that had belonged to our great grandmother, and things that her hubby, George Ware had gotten for her. We left there and went first to the cemetery where our family is buried, and then on to Hotchkiss, Colorado, where I'd lived for 8 years. There was a bonus there, the place where I order William's Hawaiian shirts is located there, and we stopped in. I took a photo of the girls that work there, that he talks to on the phone when he orders a shirt. Picked up a couple of new shirts for him too, that he'd been drooling over in the catalog. From there, we went to Olathe, Colorado, where I lived when I first moved to Colorado with my family at age 8. Got a photo or two while we were there, and then we went to dinner and back to the motel to try to get some rest.

Didn't get much rest. Cousins from our grandmother's side of the family, Wade and Deb Isham came to see us! We were so excited to meet them...and were so grateful that they drove 6 hours and stayed in our motel just to meet us and share what they had on our family history. Talk about a trusting soul! Since it was late, Wade left us with a large box of photo albums and diaries of his grandmother's, our great grandfather's sister in law. Told us to look to our heart's content while we rested up from our day! Can you imagine leaving that kind of thing with virtual strangers? Wonderful couple! The next morning at breakfast, we shared information and then moved over to a local park to talk more. While we were at the park, my son called to let us know they were in Delta. We told them how to find us, and they were soon pulling up in their car, and a little boy bounced out of that car and ran for me with open arms, yelling "NANA!!!!!" I scooped him up and what a wonderful hug from Scotty that was! The littlest one, Garrett, didn't want much to do with me at first....but he wasn't feeling very good as he gets carsick. It didn't take him long to warm up to me tho, and we all had a grand time together. Such loving little boys...they would walk past me on their way to play and reach out and pat me, telling me, "I love you, Nana".

Shirley tells me that the youngest, Garrett, looks exactly like I did as a baby.

That evening, we went to Aunt Edna's for a little family get together. Aunt Delores was there too, these two being of a like age, are the best of friends. What cuties they are, and Delores, for all of the hard knocks life has handed her, has a wonderful sense of humor! Aunt Edna does too, but hasn't had the life that Delores has had.
Sunday morning we met the kids for breakfast, and then while they took a drive to Hotchkiss so that Ray could show the kids where he lived and went to school, Shirley and I went to Cedaredge and took photos of Mom and Dad's old house. After the kids left, we met Aunt Edna for dinner, and went back to the motel early. We were up early in the morning and headed for home.

The first day, we got as far as Twin Falls, Idaho, where we spent the night. Up early the next morning, we headed for home. It was a long nine days, and it felt so good to come home, but I wouldn't have missed this trip for anything!