Fry Bread

      
   Have you ever tasted warm off the griddle fry bread? if you have, then read no further. But for those few who haven't  tasted this fine food, read on.
   Fry bread is a mixture of flour, fats, salt and water. If allowed to rise and be baked, we'd recognize it as just plain bread. But fry bread is much different. When the dough is ready to be baked, things change. A big piece of this dough is shaped into a round shape about a half inch thick. Then it's fried on both sides. The resultant food never cools off. People from far and wide smell it cooking and will risk burned fingers and tongues for a taste. It gets a little butter and a sprinkle of sugar. Now that's real eating.
   But don't tell those cooks on Food Network. They'll claim this delicacy as their own creation even though it's been cooked by Indian women for hundreds of years.
   You can find the EBook Kindle edition of this book, "Brothers by Fire" at Amazon.com and at www.peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated each day. 

   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about my book Brothers by Fire.
Good Reading,
Ron

One Room School

   Here in Northern Minnesota, one room schools were built nearly anywhere that there were enough kids to make it worthwhile. Usually they expected the kids to be able to travel two miles each way. The classroom was divided front to back and left to right with the older kids in the back of the room. The younger kids were closest to the teacher for their protection from the bullies that plagued the class.
   The school marm was usually an unmarried spinster with little patience. Her rule was complete and corporal punishment was dealt out instantly. Many children went home with fresh black and blue marks.
   Winter was a challenge for the class. If you sat too close to the stove you roasted and if you were too far away, you froze. Also, the outhouses were unheated so that made for some very quick trips outside.
   I remember as a kid, folks telling about having to walk four miles to school each way, up hill in both directions, in a blizzard and had to live on lard sandwiches. Darned tough life.
   You can find the EBook Kindle edition of this book, "Brothers by Fire" at Amazon.com and at www.peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated each day. 

   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about my book Brothers by Fire.
Good Reading,
Ron

Today on the White Oak

   In my book "Brothers by Fire" I talk about the Big White Oak area of Northern Minnesota. Today, that area is still as beautiful as the day the Great Spirit created it. Fishing is still done as always and wild rice is still harvested as it has been done for hundreds of years. Ducks and geese by the thousands still call this place home and beaver and otter still navigate the narrow channels.
   If you decide to take a look at this beautiful place, make sure you bring a lunch and a compass. The myriad channels will sometimes get the most seasoned canoeists "lost" for a time.
   You can find the EBook Kindle edition of this book, "Brothers by Fire" at Amazon.com and at www.peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated each day. 

   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about my book Brothers by Fire.
Good Reading,
Ron

High Steel

   

   In my book "Brothers by Fire" we speak of the lives of the men who walk the high steel. Now there's a job that's exciting from start to finish, each day, every day. I've seen these men of steel walk six inch beams as if they were on a wide sidewalk.
   A man I knew was one of these brave workers. He built the big IDS building in Minnesota's Twin Cities. He had a few friends help him, but in my eyes, he did it all by himself.
   As the project neared completion, these brave men placed an American flag at the top floor. My friend was photographed standing on a wooden plank, flag in hand, millions of feet in the air. I can't think of a more dangerous place in the world.  
   You can find the EBook Kindle edition of this book, "Brothers by Fire" at Amazon.com and at www.peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated each day. 

   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about my book Brothers by Fire.
Good Reading,
Ron

Elk

   
   In "Brothers by Fire" a chapter is devoted to an elk hunt in Colorado. Any time you can spend time in the Rocky Mountains, it will be memorable. Our main character takes a huge elk and the next morning finds their camp nearly covered by snow. They nearly lose their lives while trying to get off the mountain.
   This is an all too common situation in the mountains in the fall. Weather is completely unpredictable. What starts as a cloud free sky can change to a terrible blizzard in just a few minutes. The services of a good guide will make for a memorable hunt and ensure your safety. It's money well spent.
   "Brothers by Fire" is a story of two brothers separated at a young age. I take the reader on two life journeys across several continents. It's adventure reading on a grand scale. I hope you'll take a look.
  You can find the EBook Kindle edition of this book, "Brothers by Fire" at Amazon.com and at www.peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated each day. 

   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about my book Brothers by Fire.
Good Reading,
Ron

For the Birds....

   
   Here in Northern Minnesota, things run at a frantic pace during the summer months. Long before the snow has left the darkest parts of the woods, the buttercups are already in full bloom. There isn't much time to get everything done. 
   The deer have their young early in the year and by the time of the next snow, they can easily fend for themselves.
   Colors play a large part in Northern Minnesota. The birds that spend their summers here are sometimes unbelievably colorful. They have to arrive from the south, stake out courting areas, build nests, mate, lay eggs and fledge their young in a relatively short time. Before you know it, time has passed and they head south again to avoid our harsh winters.
   It's now getting towards the middle of June and the leaves on the maple trees are just getting their full size. In about three months they will change color and fall to the ground. Such a short life for something so beautiful.
   But for today, let's all get outside and fill up our senses with the sounds, smells and sights that will carry us through the next hard winter that could be in a little over four months.
   You can find the EBook Kindle edition of this book, "Brothers by Fire" at Amazon.com and at www.peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated each day. 

   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about my book Brothers by Fire.
Good Reading,
Ron

HC-130 rescue

   
    
   One of the most welcome sights during the Vietnam war was that of the HC-130. This bird could be outfitted in many ways. Here you see it set up for ground extraction.
   When they sighted the downed pilot, they dropped a package on a small parachute. Inside was a canister of helium, a balloon, a harness, a radio, many yards of rope and a few survival supplies. If you followed the instructions, a large balloon went skyward and the aircraft hooked the rope with a device on the front of the plane. The ensuing ride was nothing short of exhilarating. You went from 0 to 150 in about one second. Then you were winched into the back of the plane and headed back home. Quite a ride!
   You can find the EBook Kindle edition of this book, "Brothers by Fire" at Amazon.com and at www.peaceriverbooks.com. The Peace River Books blog is updated each day. 

   Stop in once in a while. I'll try to write something new and informative about my book Brothers by Fire.
Good Reading,
Ron