#Palace in the Popple

[johnschneiderblog]

Way out there

I'll be at our northern Michigan deer camp for the next few days. There's no WI-FI way out in the bush, so you won't hear from me for a little while.

I won't actually hunt up there; I already have a freezer full of venison and expect to participate in the muzzleloader season in December. At camp, I'll recharge my blog batteries and maybe come back with a tale or two to tell you.

Meanwhile, as always, I’ll leave you to ponder the immortal words of John Madson, who nails deer camp pretty well:

PALACE IN THE POPPLE

By John Madson

It’s a smoky, raunchy boars’ nest

With an unswept, drafty floor

And pillow ticking curtains

And knife scars on the door.

The smell of pine-knot fire

From a stovepipe that’s come loose

Mingles sweetly with the boot grease

And the Copenhagen snoose.

There are work-worn .30-.30s

With battered, steel-shod stocks,

And drying lines of long johns

And of steaming, pungent socks.

There’s a table for the Bloody Four

And their games of two-card draw,

And there’s deep and dreamless sleeping

On bunk ticks stuffed with straw.

Jerry and Jake stand by the stove,

Their gun-talk loud and hot,

And Bogie has drawn a pair of kings,

And is raking in the pot.

Franks’ been drafted again as cook

And is peeling some spuds for stew

While Bruce wanders by in baggy drawers

Reciting “Dan McGrew”.

No where on Earth is fire so warm

Nor coffee so infernal,

Nor whiskers so stiff, jokes so rich,

Nor hope blooming so eternal.

A man can live for a solid week

In the same old under-britches

And walk like a man and spit when he wants

And scratch himself where he itches.

I tell you, boys, there’s no place else

Where I’d rather be, come fall,

Where I eat like a bear and sing like a wolf

And feel like I’m bull-pine tall.

In that raunchy cabin out in the bush

In the land of the raven and loon,

With a tracking snow lying new to the ground

At the end of the rutting moon.

[musicalhitchhiker]

Deerhoof & Jenn Wasner - I Will Spite Survive

Amerikalı deneysel/punk rock grubu Deerhoof, geçen yıl The Magic adlı albümünü paylaştı ve grup üyeleri bunun yanı sıra birçok yan projeye imza attı. Üretken üyelerden oluşan grup 8 Eylülde Mountain Moves adlı yeni albümünü piyasaya sürecek. Albümde hem cover şarkılar hem de farklı müzisyenlerle yapılan işbirlikleri de yer alacak. Deerhoof’un Wye Oak grubundan Jenn Wasner ile kaydettiği I Will Spite Survive kaydını dinleyebilirsiniz.

Albümün şarkı listesi:

01 Slow Motion Detonation (Feat. Juana Molina) 02 Con Sordino 03 I Will Spite Survive (Feat. Jenn Wasner) 04 Come Down Here And Say That (Feat. Lætitia Sadier) 05 Gracias A La Vida (Violeta Parra Cover) 06 Begin Countdown 07 Your Dystopic Creation Doesn’t Fear You (Feat. Awkwafina) 08 Ay That’s Me 09 Palace Of The Governors 10 Singalong Junk (Feat. Xenia Rubinos) 11 Mountain Moves (Feat. Matana Roberts) 12 Freedom Highway (The Staple Singers Cover) 13 Sea Moves (Feat. Chad Popple & Devin Hoff) 14 Kokoye 15 Small Axe (Bob Marley Cover)

[spookyeyeimagery]

1, 15

1) if someone wanted to really understand you, what would they read, watch, and listen to?Man...that’s a hard one. Since both of these questions involve books, here for reading I’m gonna exclude them. Read the lore behind my favorite game series - Silent Hill, Portal, and Bioshock. Read weird factoids about the occult and monsters.To watch? Man, I watch everything. Go watch Gravity Falls. My Little Pony. Bad horror movies AND good horror movies. Go watch Markiplier play some games. Watch the old Popples cartoon. Bob’s Burgers. Ghostbusters. Ghost Adventures. Houdini and Doyle. Gotham. Lucifer. Cop Rock. Mrs. Doubtfire.

To listen to? Go listen to Poets of the Fall’s ENTIRE DISCOGRAPHY. Caravan Palace! The Fallout/Bioshock soundtracks. The My Little Pony OST. Welcome to Night Vale and the Black Tapes and all kinds of spooky podcasts.

TL;DR I can be best understood through eclectica.

15) five most influential books over your lifetime.

A Little Princess - Frances Hodgson BurnettThe Ring - Koji Suzuki

The Secret Life of Houdini: The Makings of America’s First Superhero - Larry Sloman and William Kalush

Pet Shop of Horrors (Manga Series) - Matsuri Akino (I know it’s a series but dude it’s important)

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

[kmalexander]

Vischer: A Free 17th Century Cartography Brush Set for Fantasy Maps

For December, I am releasing my thirteenth free fantasy map brush set of the year and it’s the most extensive collection I’ve ever assembled. I think you’ll dig this one.

Today’s topographic set is based on the Archiducatus Austriae inferioris, an incredibly detailed map of lower Austria created by Georg Matthäus Vischer in 1697. The style is unique and features a few stylistic touches that really help set it apart. Hills do double duty serving as forests, and the skylines of the cities, towns, and villages are rendered intricately, giving each their own individual look.

There’s also the matter of the Schlösser—the catchall German term for a château, manor houses, or palace. Vischer drew and labeled each of these. Often these buildings were moated, and while German has a word for “castle” (burg), it wasn’t uncommon for castles to also be dubbed “schloss.” (I recommend reading the linked page, there’s fascinating history surrounding those buildings, and it goes into much more detail.) For the sake of organizational sanity, I divided the schlösser into those that looked more manor-like and those that appeared more castle-esque.

Vischer included a key, in both German and Latin, and I did my best to follow it when labeling the signs and symbols. However, he didn’t always do the best job sticking to his own legend. Towards the latter plates, the symbol marking the schlösser changes, and it begins to often include an arrow (typically used to indicate a fortified location). I’m also half-sure that the mark for “town” might be more of an indicator that there is a market in that particular village or city. Likewise, he lists bathhouses on the legend, but they never showed up in the map itself! Those sorts of aberrations aren’t uncommon on old maps, and it’s part of what makes cartographic antiquities such fun.

This is a beautiful set, with a style that sets it apart from other maps of the era. I’m excited to be bringing it to everyone. I can’t wait to see what you do with it. With over nine hundred and fifty brushes, Vischer is my largest set of the year. There is a TON here allowing the map designer to make a really unique looking topographical map quickly and effectively. It includes the following:

20 Small Settlements

165 Villages

20 Elevated Villages

40 Towns

25 Cities

50 Manor-style Schlösser

20 Elevated Manor-style Schlösser

40 Castle-style Schlösser

20 Elevated Castle-style Schlösser

10 Monasteries

15 Monasteries w/ Other Settlements

30 Combined Settlements

20 Houses

10 Churches

25 Unique Settlements

20 Open Fields

20 Furrowed Fields

20 Hedgerow Fields

20 Hedgerows

20 Vineyards

30 Wetlands

20 Scrub

20 Individual Trees

15 Forests

150 Regular Hills

20 Steep Hills

30 Cultivated Hills

10 Mountains

3 Windmills

5 Glass Kiln Markers

15 Postal Markers

5 Transport Cartouches

10 Ruins & Monuments

5 Crosses

5 Unique Cartouches

The button below links to a ZIP file that contains a Photoshop brush set (it’ll also work in GIMP). I normally include a set of transparent PNGs in case you’re using a program that doesn’t support Adobe brush files, but I’ve separated them out this time to save on file-size. You can download them via the link below. They’re black, and they’ll look broken if viewed in Chrome, but trust me, they’re all there.

DOWNLOAD VISCHER

Download all the PNGs

As with all of my previous brush sets, Vischer is free for any use. I distribute my sets with a Creative Common, No Rights Reserved License (CC0), which means you can freely use this and any of my brushes in commercial work and distribute adaptations. (Details on this decision here.) No attribution is required. Easy peasy!

Enjoy Vischer? Feel free to show me what you created by sending me an email or finding me on Twitter. I love seeing how these brushes get used, and I’d be happy to share your work with my readers. Let me see what you make!

Vischer In Use

Want to see this brush set in use? I put together a sample map using Vischer. There are three versions, a black and white version, one colored, and a decorated sample. Click on any of the images below to view them larger. Perhaps this will inspire you in your projects!

            Supporting This Work

If you like the Vischer brush set (or any of my free brushes, really) and want to support my work, instead of a donation, consider buying one of my speculative fiction novels. The first book—The Stars Were Right—is only $2.99 on eBook. I think you’ll dig it. You can find all my books in stores and online. Visit bellforgingcycle.com to learn more about the series. Tell your friends!

Not interested in my books but still want a way to support me? Buy me a coffee.

 More Map Brushes

Vischer isn’t the only brush set I’ve released. You can find other free brush sets with a wide variety of styles over on my Free Stuff page. Every set is free, distributed under a CC0 license, and open for personal or commercial use. I’m sure you’ll be able to find something that works for your project.

Braun: A 16th Century Urban Cartography Brush Set

The brushes within this urban-focused set are based on the incredible work of Georg Braun taken from his Civitates orbis terrarum—easily one of the most significant volumes of cartographic antiquity. The detail and density represented in these symbols give an extra layer of texture and is perfect for the right fantastical city map.

Ogilby: A Free 17th Century Road Atlas Brush Set

Taken from John Ogilby’s 1675 book Britannia, Volume the First, this set allows the creator to recreate road atlas from the 17th century in stunning detail, placing the traveler’s experience front and center. With over 800 brushes, this is my most extensive set to date and useful for a variety of projects. Several bonus downloads are also available, as well.

Van der Aa: An 18th Century Cartography Brush Set

This regional map set is based on a map by Dutch cartographer and publisher, Pieter Van der Aa. It’s a beautifully rendered version of the Mingrelia region of northwest Georgia. While not as extensive as other sets, the size of the map allowed for larger brushes that helps highlight the uniqueness of each symbol. It also features a failed wall!

Gomboust: A 17th Century Urban Cartography Brush Set

My first brush set to focus on creating realistic maps for fantastical urban environments! Gomboust is a huge set, and its symbols are extracted from Jacques Gomboust’s beautiful 1652 map of Paris, France. His style is detailed yet quirky, isometric yet off-kilter, packed with intricacies, and it brings a lot of personality to a project.

Harrewyn: An 18th Century Cartography Brush Set

Based on Eugene Henry Fricx’s “Cartes des Paysbas et des Frontieres de France,” this set leans into its 1727 gothic styling and its focus on the developed rather than the natural. It’s hauntingly familiar yet strikingly different. If you’re looking for more natural elements, Harrewyn works well alongside other sets as well.

Popple: A Free 18th Century Cartography Brush Set

This set has quickly become a favorite, and it’s perfect for a wide variety of projects. The brushes are taken from 1746’s A Map of the British Empire in America by Henry Popple, and it has a fresh style that does a fantastic job capturing the wildness of a frontier. Plus, it has swamps! And we know swamps have become a necessity in fantasy cartography.

Donia: A Free 17th Century Settlement Brush Set

While not my most extensive set (a little over one hundred brushes), Donia boasts one of the more unique takes on settlements from the 17th century. If you’re looking for flora, I suggest checking out other sets, but if you want to pay attention to your map’s cities, towns, castles, churches, towers, forts, even fountains, then this is the right set for you.

Blaeu: A Free 17th Century Cartography Brush Set

Based on Joan Blaeu’s Terræ Sanctæ—a 17th-century tourist map of the Holy Land—this set includes a ton of unique and varied signs as well as a large portion of illustrative cartouches that can add a flair authenticity to any fantasy map. Elegant and nuanced, everything works within a system, but nearly every sign is unique.

Aubers: An 18th Century Cartography Brush Set

An 18th Century brush set based on a map from 1767 detailing the journey of François Pagès, a French naval officer, who accompanied the Spanish Governor of Texas on a lengthy exploration through Louisiana, Texas, and Mexico. A unique southwestern set with a few interesting deviations—including three volcanos!

L’Isle: An 18th Century Battlefield Brush Set

A departure from the norm, this set is based on the Plan Batalii map, which was included in a special edition of The First Atlas of Russia in 1745. A detailed view of a battle during the Russo-Turkish War of 1735–1739. Canon! Units! Battles! Perfect for mapping out the combat scenarios in your fantasy stories.

Widman: A 17th Century Cartography Brush Set

A 17th Century brush set based on the work of Georgio Widman for Giovanni Giacomo de Rossi’s atlas published in 1692. A fantastic example of Cantelli da Vignola’s influence and a solid set for any fantastic map. This is the workhorse of antique map brush sets—perfect for nearly any setting.

Walser: An 18th Century Cartography Brush Set

An 18th Century brush set based on the work of Gabriel Walser with a focus on small farms and ruins and a robust set of mountains and hills. This is a great brush set to see how Vignola’s influence persisted across generations. It was etched over 80 years after the Widman set, but you’ll find a few familiar symbols within.

Lumbia: A Sketchy Cartography Brush Set

A sketchy style brush set I drew myself that focuses on unique hills and mountains and personal customizability. My attempt at trying to channel the sort of map a barkeep would draw for a band of hearty adventurers. It includes extra-large brushes for extremely high-resolution maps.

Lehmann: A Hatchure Brush Set

Named after Austrian topographer Johann Georg Lehmann creator of the Lehmann hatching system in 1799, this is a path-focused brush set designed for Adobe Illustrator that attempts to captures the hand-drawn style unique 19th Century hachure-style mountains. This set works perfectly in conjunction with my other sets from the late 18th century.

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[asimplechaos]

also i already have an interaction in mind for the story between popple and shear

popple’s all like ‘ey, so you’re a queen? ‘s that mean you got a fancy palace full of goodies somewhere?’

and shear goes ‘oh, not anymore. i died.’

leaving popple very confused and Scared because if she died how is she right there in front of him???

[tinymixtapes]

Deerhoof announce new album and tour dates, premiere track "I Will Spite Survive&quot with Democracy Now!

WOW! GOOD MORNING and Holy Deerhoof, my fellow Deerhoofs! The four Deerhoofs in the very dear-to-us-all band Deerhoof have just given the whole Deerhoof-cognizant world a good wake-up SMACK in the FACE with their deer hooves by announcing that they’ll be releasing a brand new Deerhoof album on September 8 via Joyful Noise! DEEEEEER. HOOOOOOOOF. The forthcoming album is called Mountain Moves and, in addition to our four deerhooved heroes, it also features guest appearances by Stereolab’s Lætitia Sadier, Awkwafina, Juana Molina, Xenia Rubinos, Matana Roberts, and others. It’s composite 15 tracks (12 original songs and three covers), were “recorded, performed, and produced by Deerhoof’s Greg Saunier, Ed Rodriguez, Satomi Matsuzaki & John Dieterich, with the Children of Hoof Radio & Television Orchestra.” A hefty bio for the album, penned by Seattle-based music writer Kurt B. Reighley, partially assesses its vaulting socio-political ambitions thusly: Experiencing one emotion at a time is a luxury of the past. Think back to that moment at the women’s march or the pro-science rally, when you spied a small child holding a handmade sign that read “I love naps but I stay woke” or “Boys will be boys good humans” or “May the facts be with you.” How adorable! How upsetting! How the hell are they going to make it to adulthood in this toxic environment? Deerhoof is right there with you. They recognize that we are simultaneously living in two worlds, one a maniacal, mainstream monoculture hell-bent on driving humankind into extinction, the other a churning underground teeming with ideas and dogged optimism and the will to thrive and survive. Mountain Moves refutes the former by ecstatically celebrating the latter. And, as their first Mountain Moves-related act of refutation-by-way-of-celebration, the band is also premiering the album’s first single “I Will Spite Survive (Ft. Wye Oak’s Jenn Wasner)” today with independent (a.k.a. “real”) news organization Democracy Now! and has issued the following bang-a-rang-esque statement of their own: In this world of tyrants and CEOs seemingly hellbent on achieving the termination of our species, perhaps the most rebellious thing we could do is not die. Should we survive the global warming, the lack of healthcare, and the bombs, a more humane future may await us. Maligned for shirking their capitalist duty, it is the younger generations we center. Safeguarding our consciences is only part of the daily challenge, since we also need to navigate corporate-owned electronic media which both aids and saps our energies. Fans of Wye Oak will be thrilled (as we were) to hear Jenn Wasner harmonize with Deerhoof singer Satomi Matsuzaki, while fans of Gloria Gaynor, Bee Gees, or The Bobby Fuller Four may detect homage in the lyrics: “I Will Spite Survive” You could outlive your executioners but you’re on tv. You’re expendable. Sleep at night, if you can stay alive. Stay alive, if you can sleep at night. City breaks, if you can stay awake. Let her dance, all night long! The voices of reason and humanity are puzzlingly but systematically iced out of our national conversation by politicians and media bought by large corporations. Whether we’re talking about money in politics, trade deals, surveillance, bank bailouts, healthcare, climate change, Middle Eastern wars, or wealth equality, the mainstream popular view is dismissed as unrealistically “far left,” while the views of a small dissenting minority are advanced as acceptably “conservative,” “centrist,” or “liberal.” That’s why news outlets NOT owned by large corporations are so lovable, and Democracy Now! may be the most lovable of them all Umm. Fucking BANG-A-RANG! You ARE the Pan, Deerhoof! Anyway, head here for more information and to pre-order Mountain Moves now, listen to “I Will Spite Survive (Ft. Wye Oak’s Jenn Wasner),” and peep the tracklisting and upcoming tour itinerary down below. After that, you should be just about fired-the-FUCK-up enough to get back to work helping Saunier, Rodriguez, Matsuzaki, and Dieterich move all these heavy-ass mountains. Mountain Moves tracklisting: 01. Slow Motion Detonation (ft. Juana Molina) 02. Con Sordino 03. I Will Spite Survive (ft. Jenn Wasner) 04. Come Down Here and Say That (ft. Lætitia Sadier) 05. Gracias a la Vida (Violeta Parra cover) 06. Begin Countdown 07. Your Dystopic Creation Doesn’t Fear You (ft. Awkwafina) 08. Ay That’s Me 09. Palace of the Governors 10. Singalong Junk (ft. Xenia Rubinos) 11. Mountain Moves (ft. Matana Roberts) 12. Freedom Highway (The Staple Singers) 13. Sea Moves (ft. Chad Popple & Devin Hoff) 14. Kokoye 15. Small Axe (Bob Marley) 2017 Trail of Deerhoof-prints: 06.28.17 - Milwaukee, WI - SummerFest 2017 06.29.17 - Madison, WI - High Noon Saloon 06.30.17 - Chicago, IL - United Center * 07.01.17 - Chicago, IL - United Center * 07.02.17 - Columbus, OH - Ace of Cups 07.03.17- Cincinnati, OH - Urban Artifact 08.18.17 - Sudbury, ON - The Grand Theatre 08.19.17 - Ottawa, ON - Arboretum Fest 2017 08.20.17 - Toronto, ON - Wavelength Music Festival 08.25.17 - Praha, CZ - Underdogs’ Ballroom & Bar 08.26.17 - Storkow, DE - Alinæ Lumr Festival 08.27.17 - Hamburg, DE - Kampnagel Sommerfest 08.28.17 - Darmstadt, DE - Oetinger Villa 08.30.17 - Opwijk, BE - Nosta 08.31.17 - Nijmegen, NL - Doornroosje 09.02.17 - Aarhus, DK - UJazz Festival 09.03.17 - Dorset, UK - End of the Road Festival 09.04.17 - London, UK - Village Underground 09.05.17 - Ramsgate, UK - Ramsgate Music Hall (sold out) * Supporting Red Hot Chili Peppers http://j.mp/2tkOx4V

[johnschneiderblog]

Off the grid

I’ll be at deer camp in northern Michigan for the next couple of days - in the bush and off the grid.

Meanwhile, as always, I’ll leave you with the immortal words of John Madson, who nails deer camp pretty well:

PALACE IN THE POPPLE

By John Madson

It’s a smoky, raunchy boars’ nest

With an unswept, drafty floor

And pillow ticking curtains

And knife scars on the door.

The smell of pine-knot fire

From a stovepipe that’s come loose

Mingles sweetly with the boot grease

And the Copenhagen snoose.

There are work-worn .30-.30s

With battered, steel-shod stocks,

And drying lines of long johns

And of steaming, pungent socks.

There’s a table for the Bloody Four

And their games of two-card draw,

And there’s deep and dreamless sleeping

On bunk ticks stuffed with straw.

Jerry and Jake stand by the stove,

Their gun-talk loud and hot,

And Bogie has drawn a pair of kings,

And is raking in the pot.

Franks’ been drafted again as cook

And is peeling some spuds for stew

While Bruce wanders by in baggy drawers

Reciting “Dan McGrew”.

No where on Earth is fire so warm

Nor coffee so infernal,

Nor whiskers so stiff, jokes so rich,

Nor hope blooming so eternal.

A man can live for a solid week

In the same old under-britches

And walk like a man and spit when he wants

And scratch himself where he itches.

I tell you, boys, there’s no place else

Where I’d rather be, come fall,

Where I eat like a bear and sing like a wolf

And feel like I’m bull-pine tall.

In that raunchy cabin out in the bush

In the land of the raven and loon,

With a tracking snow lying new to the ground

At the end of the rutting moon.

[johnschneiderblog]

Deer camp's fourth generation

This year’s deer camp will be an extraordinary one for me and it has nothing to do with the hunting itself, or even the poker.

My oldest grandson turned 12 in June - the age of “apprenticeship” at our camp. It’s not a state law; it’s just what we do. We figure that at age 12, a boy is old enough to sit in a blind with his dad and learn the ropes.

The kid, chaperoned by Dad Justin, will become the eighth member of the fourth generation of hunters and I’m excited and grateful for the chance to introduce him to the “Palace in the Popple” (see tomorrow’s blog).

The fly in the ointment here is that it will be an abbreviated trip. School is in session Friday and the kid will be there … which brings me to a long-standing complaint about the inconsistencies of the state Department of Natural Resources’ hunting policies.

One of the DNR’s top priorities - or so it claims - is to recruit more hunters - especially young ones who will make hunting a lifelong pursuit. That’s understandable; traditionally the sale of hunting licenses has meant big money for the state. Meanwhile, the number of hunters - adults and kids - continues to plunge.

Yet, those who make the decisions continue to cling to Nov. 15 as the opening day of the season, which means that five years out of seven it starts on a weekday, when kids should be in school; not to mention the dads - starting new jobs, etc. - who may also have trouble taking the day off.

So why not tie opening day to, say, the Saturday closest to Nov. 15? Or does that make too much sense …?

[johnschneiderblog]

Going deep

Normally the phrases "deer camp" and "deep cleaning" don't belong in the same universe.

In fact, the classic poem about deer camp, "Palace in the Popples," calls it "A smoky, raunchy boar's nest ...." which sums it up pretty well.

But then there's Sharon...

Nearly a year ago I bought this used trailer to replace the one my son and I use for a few nights each November. The old one became a little too decrepit even for us.

Naturally I cleaned this one as soon as I brought it home last fall. (Sharon would be inclined to put quotation marks around the word cleaned in that sentence, as in, "John 'cleaned' the trailer.")

My son, grandsons. nephew and I are hauling the trailer to camp this weekend and Sharon just couldn't let it go in the state it was in. To do so would have gone against her principles.

One thing is certain: It will never be this clean again.

(By the way, as I've mentioned in the past, cell and Internet service at camp are spotty; if you don't hear from me in the next couple of days, that's why.)

[johnschneiderblog]

Off the grid

You won’t hear from me for the next few days. Where I’m going, a laptop - even if WiFi were available - would be wrong. That’s part of why we love deer camp, right...?

This photo, showing part of the crew, was taken, I guess, about 40 years ago. That’s me in the back row, wearing the fashionable orange cap.

So, in keeping with tradition, I’ll leave you to ponder the immortal words of John Madson, who captures the deer-camp vibe as well as anything I’ve seen or read:

PALACE IN THE POPPLE By John Madson

It’s a smoky, raunchy boars’ nest

With an unswept, drafty floor

And pillow ticking curtains

And knife scars on the door.

The smell of pine-knot fire

From a stovepipe that’s come loose

Mingles sweetly with the boot grease

And the Copenhagen snoose.

There are work-worn .30-.30s

With battered, steel-shod stocks,

And drying lines of long johns

And of steaming, pungent socks.

There’s a table for the Bloody Four

And their games of two-card draw,

And there’s deep and dreamless sleeping

On bunk ticks stuffed with straw.

Jerry and Jake stand by the stove,

Their gun-talk loud and hot,

And Bogie has drawn a pair of kings,

And is raking in the pot.

Franks’ been drafted again as cook

And is peeling some spuds for stew

While Bruce wanders by in baggy drawers

Reciting “Dan McGrew”.

No where on Earth is fire so warm

Nor coffee so infernal,

Nor whiskers so stiff, jokes so rich,

Nor hope blooming so eternal.

A man can live for a solid week

In the same old under-britches

And walk like a man and spit when he wants

And scratch himself where he itches.

I tell you, boys, there’s no place else

Where I’d rather be, come fall,

Where I eat like a bear and sing like a wolf

And feel like I’m bull-pine tall.

In that raunchy cabin out in the bush

In the land of the raven and loon,

With a tracking snow lying new to the ground

At the end of the rutting moon.

[johnschneiderblog]

Happy campers

Last year COVID splintered our northern-Michigan deer camp. Son Justin and I hunted together on the Nov. 15 opener, but we did so here, on my 12 acres outside of Lansing.

This year, vaxed and boosted, we'll return - cautiously, but gladly - to tradition. Son Benjamin (on the left in this photo, taken a few years ago), can't make it, but we'll be sure to drink a beer for him.

Anyway, there's no WI-FI way out there, so you won't hear from me for the next few days.

Meanwhile, as always, I’ll leave you to ponder the immortal words of John Madson, who nails deer camp pretty well:

PALACE IN THE POPPLE

By John Madson

It’s a smoky, raunchy boars’ nest

With an unswept, drafty floor

And pillow ticking curtains

And knife scars on the door.

The smell of pine-knot fire

From a stovepipe that’s come loose

Mingles sweetly with the boot grease

And the Copenhagen snoose.

There are work-worn .30-.30s

With battered, steel-shod stocks,

And drying lines of long johns

And of steaming, pungent socks.

There’s a table for the Bloody Four

And their games of two-card draw,

And there’s deep and dreamless sleeping

On bunk ticks stuffed with straw.

Jerry and Jake stand by the stove,

Their gun-talk loud and hot,

And Bogie has drawn a pair of kings,

And is raking in the pot.

Franks’ been drafted again as cook

And is peeling some spuds for stew

While Bruce wanders by in baggy drawers

Reciting “Dan McGrew”.

No where on Earth is fire so warm

Nor coffee so infernal,

Nor whiskers so stiff, jokes so rich,

Nor hope blooming so eternal.

A man can live for a solid week

In the same old under-britches

And walk like a man and spit when he wants

And scratch himself where he itches.

I tell you, boys, there’s no place else

Where I’d rather be, come fall,

Where I eat like a bear and sing like a wolf

And feel like I’m bull-pine tall.

In that raunchy cabin out in the bush

In the land of the raven and loon,

With a tracking snow lying new to the ground

At the end of the rutting moon.

[johnschneiderblog]

Off the grid

Son Justin will arrive here tonight; then he and I will head northward, to deer camp, where a laptop would be both dysfunctional and dissonant.

So as always, I’ll leave you to ponder the immortal words of John Madson, who nails deer camp pretty well (notice there’s no mention of WI-FI).

PALACE IN THE POPPLE

By John Madson

It’s a smoky, raunchy boars’ nest

With an unswept, drafty floor

And pillow ticking curtains

And knife scars on the door.

The smell of pine-knot fire

From a stovepipe that’s come loose

Mingles sweetly with the boot grease

And the Copenhagen snoose.

There are work-worn .30-.30s

With battered, steel-shod stocks,

And drying lines of long johns

And of steaming, pungent socks.

There’s a table for the Bloody Four

And their games of two-card draw,

And there’s deep and dreamless sleeping

On bunk ticks stuffed with straw.

Jerry and Jake stand by the stove,

Their gun-talk loud and hot,

And Bogie has drawn a pair of kings,

And is raking in the pot.

Franks’ been drafted again as cook

And is peeling some spuds for stew

While Bruce wanders by in baggy drawers

Reciting “Dan McGrew”.

No where on Earth is fire so warm

Nor coffee so infernal,

Nor whiskers so stiff, jokes so rich,

Nor hope blooming so eternal.

A man can live for a solid week

In the same old under-britches

And walk like a man and spit when he wants

And scratch himself where he itches.

I tell you, boys, there’s no place else

Where I’d rather be, come fall,

Where I eat like a bear and sing like a wolf

And feel like I’m bull-pine tall.

In that raunchy cabin out in the bush

In the land of the raven and loon,

With a tracking snow lying new to the ground

At the end of the rutting moon.

[johnschneiderblog]

Return engagement

Deer camp is always one of the highlights of the year. This year it will be even better. Thanks to a rare gap in his schedule, son Benjamin - flying to Detroit from L.A. today - will join Justin and I and the rest of the gang at the family camp near Manton, north of Cadillac. 

Aside from one brief appearance while LH was shooting the “She Lit a Fire” video on the Lake Huron shore, Benjamin hasn’t been to deer camp for many years.

I’ll be off the grid for the next few days. In keeping with tradition, I’ll leave you with the immortal words of John Madson, who nails deer camp pretty well.

PALACE IN THE POPPLE

By John Madson

It’s a smoky, raunchy boars’ nest

With an unswept, drafty floor

And pillow ticking curtains

And knife scars on the door.

The smell of pine-knot fire

From a stovepipe that’s come loose

Mingles sweetly with the boot grease

And the Copenhagen snoose.

There are work-worn .30-.30s

With battered, steel-shod stocks,

And drying lines of long johns

And of steaming, pungent socks.

There’s a table for the Bloody Four

And their games of two-card draw,

And there’s deep and dreamless sleeping

On bunk ticks stuffed with straw.

Jerry and Jake stand by the stove,

Their gun-talk loud and hot,

And Bogie has drawn a pair of kings,

And is raking in the pot.

Franks’ been drafted again as cook

And is peeling some spuds for stew

While Bruce wanders by in baggy drawers

Reciting “Dan McGrew”.

No where on Earth is fire so warm

Nor coffee so infernal,

Nor whiskers so stiff, jokes so rich,

Nor hope blooming so eternal.

A man can live for a solid week

In the same old under-britches

And walk like a man and spit when he wants

And scratch himself where he itches.

I tell you, boys, there’s no place else

Where I’d rather be, come fall,

Where I eat like a bear and sing like a wolf

And feel like I’m bull-pine tall.

In that raunchy cabin out in the bush

In the land of the raven and loon,

With a tracking snow lying new to the ground

At the end of the rutting moon.

[johnschneiderblog]

Off the grid

On this deer camp eve, I'll leave you. as always, with the immortal words of John Madson:

PALACE IN THE POPPLE

It’s a smoky, raunchy boars’ nest,

With an unswept, drafty floor

And pillow ticking curtains

And knife scars on the door.

The smell of pine-knot fire

From a stovepipe that’s come loose

Mingles sweetly with the boot grease

And the Copenhagen snoose.

There are work-worn .30-.30s

With battered, steel-shod stocks,

And drying lines of long johns

And of steaming, pungent socks.

There’s a table for the Bloody Four

And their games of two-card draw,

And there’s deep and dreamless sleeping

On bunk ticks stuffed with straw.

Jerry and Jake stand by the stove,

Their gun-talk loud and hot,

And Bogie has drawn a pair of kings,

And is raking in the pot.

Franks’ been drafted again as cook

And is peeling some spuds for stew

While Bruce wanders by in baggy drawers

Reciting “Dan McGrew”.

No where on Earth is fire so warm

Nor coffee so infernal,

Nor whiskers so stiff, jokes so rich,

Nor hope blooming so eternal.

A man can live for a solid week

In the same old under-britches

And walk like a man and spit when he wants

And scratch himself where he itches.

I tell you, boys, there’s no place else

Where I’d rather be, come fall,

Where I eat like a bear and sing like a wolf

And feel like I’m bull-pine tall.

In that raunchy cabin out in the bush

In the land of the raven and loon,

With a tracking snow lying new to the ground

At the end of the rutting moon.