Men & Machines #2

Vimeo's content is really getting fantastic. With increasing frequency I am finding great short films documenting the work and the motivations that drive genuine craftsmen. This sadly declining group amongst us who combines the creative and the industrious and melds the two into something beautiful and functional if not iconic as well.

I've a great appreciation for the man who can formulate a vision and articulate it in metal. Men who's art not only pleases the aesthetic but the visceral without losing grasp of the function.

Dustin Kott - Cafe Bike Builder


Cafe cowboy from benedict campbell on Vimeo.

A film by Benedict Campbell.

A New Family Member

As previously noted Kathy and I have been assisting with the rescue of 27 Bullmastiffs that were in a horrifically neglectful situation in Las Vegas. The dogs began to be moved from Vegas to a temporary shelter in Phoenix begining two weeks before Christmas. The following weekend Kathy and I flew to Phoenix to meet the dogs and decide if one of them was right for us.

What a decision!?!? All of them were sweet and happy to receive positive attention. But each of them have a share of problems due to their previous situation. Most with entropian, many with other physical maladies, few spayed or neutered and all of them un-vaccinated. The one we kept coming back to was "Snort". Terrible name for a dog, but rather descriptive as he does snort when sniffing and when he's happy from getting affection.

Man Can Cook #16: Cassoulet...it's French, but it's still manly!

I don’t do a great deal of traditional French cooking. Not for any real good reason other than a preference for the flavor profiles of Italian & Spanish fare of a rustic variety. If you thumb through Julia Child’s “Mastering” books you find that they are dominated by the “cuisine bourgeoisie” or the slightly higher-end of the French cookery landscape. There are exceptions to this of course, and Cassoulet is one of them.

Cassoulet is an old-world French peasants dish named for the vessel in which it is traditionally cooked, a “cassole” which is usually a deep, rather than wide, glazed stoneware baking dish. There are a number of variations according to region. The most common is the Toulouse variety which is dominated by Goose Confit as a protein with a bit of mutton. Not surprising as Toulouse is the heart of the Foie Gras production region. You gotta do something with all those geese once their ambrosial livers have been harvested. Other variations are the Cassoulet de Castelnaudary which features mainly pork and the Cassoulet de Carcassonne which often features Partridge.

Bullmastiff Rescue Crisis Update

Please follow the below link for an update on the dogs rescued from their horribly neglected situation in Las Vegas.

Bullmastiff Rescue Crisis Update 01/03/12