May everyone be enjoying the day representing our Freedom,
Got the day off somehow.
Smoked a brisket the other day knowing there would be leftovers.
Chopped some of it up fine this morning and mixed into raw hamburger to grill for dinner. Delicious.
A nice

for myself and a Huckleberry Mule for the Admiral before sitting on the roof watching the local fireworks will make a relaxing day knowing the boat is actually going to get splashed tomorrow.

Happy 4th! Looks refreshing! Been thinking of getting a pellet grill to do some smoking. I feel like its cheating but I don't think I have the patience to tend the fire the old fashioned way. What do you use to smoke?

We had an eventful 4th of July weekend. We fulfilled a dream to move to the water full time and christened the place with a boatload plus of our kids and their friends. Great group and a lot of fun taking them out in the old red Cobalt 206. Can't believe she is 22 years old now, a few minor repairs over the years, but she just keeps starting up and performing! Capped off the extended weekend with a gorgeous sky tonight...only in a little over a week but getting tremendous enjoyment out of the place.

Congrats on the move to the lake. Can't wait to hear more about the new place.

Get a pellet grill and don't look back. Your life will change .
With your move to the lake (I'm Jealous) you will be so happy
It's not cheating, it's using technology to your advantage. Traeger is of course the best known and you absolutely will not go wrong with one of their many choices. I went with Yoder Smokers out of Yoder Kansas when the admiral upsold me on the YS640 on a competition cart instead of the YS 480 I was trying to get her to approve, after telling me that my electric smoker was all I could get

I use Cabela's wood pellets at $9.99 per bag, instead of the $18 Traeger pellets. Cabellas has the Standard Hickory, Mesquite, Applewood, but also a Garlic Beer hardwood I like for Beef, and Bourbon Brown sugar I use for Pork.


That Yardsale Amber is a great beer. Brewed in Lakeside MT on the West side of Flathead lake. I found it at the Kalispell Costco, but have been to the original brewhouse a couple times now and it's my Go-To Brewpub when I overnight in Missoula. I bounce back and forth between that and Kettlehouse Coldsmoke Scotch Ale, and a beer Silverbullet may have tried, Wobbly Man Scotch Ale brewed in McCall Id.

Holy cow, that's quite a rig! Great info, I wasn't even aware of Yoder...only Traeger and Weber for the most part. A relative works for Weber and first showed me a pellet grill connected to his phone and I thought...hey, this is something I could probably handle!

The new place has been great so far, only a few miles from where we were, but always dreamed of having a covered boat slip just a short walk across the yard. We have lived in the area for quite some time so had a pretty developed checklist and this place checked so many we decided to go for it. We all find ourselves looking out the windows at the lake all the time, even the kids; it's feels a bit like being on vacation. They will go outside to read or do laptop work now vs staying inside just so they can take in the view. There has been a surprising amount of wildlife including some swimming deer. An abundance of spider webs all around the dock structure though so I've had a broom in my hand a lot down there...don't think they'd been swept away for a few years...any suggestions on that appreciated!

Congratulations on the move to the lake. I love living on Norris Lake year round.

The view never gets old.




Pics taken last winter

Spiders on the dock? I spray them. Takes a few sparys but they eventually leave or die.

Beautiful pictures Mark

Would not be hard to get used to that view.

A little less crowded than my lake

Love the misty photos. Mark that glass looks like something Skibrain would envy!