Author Archives: John Idstrom

This piece originally appeared at Exit133 as part of my Mise En Place series there.  I am reprinting here with the sad news that my garden at Kandle Park has been basically ruined by an attempt to “improve” the space, … Continue reading →

I hate medicine. Then again who doesn’t?  Medicine, like K-Mart, sucks.  When I was a kid it seemed like I was sick constantly, no surprise if you grow up chin deep in Minnesota winters.  Mom sends you outside to play, … Continue reading →

In a recent blog post, I mentioned how I actually learned to fly at one time in my life – not in a plane, or even a hang-glider, but just on my own, completely self-propelled.  One gentle reader asked if … Continue reading →

What do you really need? The question came up this week when my friend Chef Gordon Naccarato posted a question on his award-winning Pacific Grill Blog (http://blog.pacificgrilltacoma.com/)  about sweet potato casserole with marshmallows:  Necessity or abomination?  It got me to … Continue reading →

Gillette, Wyoming might well be the worst town in America, its sole redeeming virtue that you can buy a fifth of cheap Canadian from a liquor store with a drive up window.  Because God Knows, the last thing you want … Continue reading →

Maybe you are walking down the street.  Maybe it is a fall morning and the crimson maple leaves are blowing in circles in the gutters in the light breeze and the sky is cracking blue and it is Saturday and … Continue reading →

Until I was nearly ten, I lived just blocks away from what I took for granted was the world’s greatest river, the Big Muddy itself, the Mighty Mississippi River.  We lived on a spacious double lot at the intersection of … Continue reading →

When he hit, he nailed it.  Like a 20 lb. sledge hitting a finishing brad.  Like a Mike Tyson uppercut.  Like a Clarence Clemons sax riff. My friend the Birddog (aka Don Hurley of http://www.donhurleyoutdoors.com fame) and I were floating … Continue reading →