Randy | April 26, 2010
The generally held definition of a “survival knife” is a knife that is carried for the express purpose of facilitating the longevity of its owner in a situation wherein the shit has hit the fan. Internet forums on the subject abound with recommendations and equipment reviews, and I have my own opinions on the subject. […]
Randy | March 29, 2010
In a previous LFM article titled Kitchen Knife Technique I exposed you all to the teachings of Chad Ward, author of An Edge in the Kitchen. Today’s post introduces some exquisite knife work using what many of us would regard as an unlikely tool – the Nepalese khukuri.
Randy | March 17, 2010
It’s been said that God invented whisky so the Irish wouldn’t take over the world. So far it’s worked. I’ve always appreciated a good toast, tastefully delivered, no matter how ribald the content, but the Irish are an odd people. Their toasts are full of statements like, “May you die in Ireland”, which for most […]
Randy | February 12, 2010
The daily dose of sunlight is obviously longer now than it was a month ago, but this fact notwithstanding, I’ve noticed in my travels that a lot of you are singing the blues of “seasonal affective disorder”, apparently to explain why you’re still the same pissy bitch you are at every other time of the […]
Randy | April 18, 2009
As unrepentant carnivores, Mrs. Large Fierce Mammal and I have small tolerance for those among the Great Unwashed who see nothing wrong with eating meat while at the same time idiotically attempting to expunge their “sin” by repeatedly reminding everyone in earshot of how bad or guilty they feel about it. We have the utmost […]
Randy | April 5, 2009
Each of the axes in the following shots started life as a small hand axe pretty much identical to the one held by the kid above. A commonly encountered hand tool, they were often forged by local blacksmiths by hammering a flat plate of steel around a mandrel that created the eye for the handle, […]
Randy | March 24, 2009
I took the title of this post from among the many wise and witty utterances of the immortal Groucho Marx. He also said, “I intend to live forever, or die trying.” Of no surprise to my readers will be the disclosure that my brand of humour veers sharply toward the dark side. My dance card […]
Randy | September 6, 2008
“Like one, that on a lonesome road, Doth walk in fear and dread, And having once turned round walks on, And turns no more his head; Because he knows a frightful fiend Doth close behind him tread.” ~ The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Samuel Taylor Coleridge ~ I attended elementary school at Lunenburg Academy, […]
Randy | September 5, 2008
Diana holds Tiny, the canine cannon ball, during the little gaffer’s “Welcome to Canada” party. Back in 2000, I was in Florida on business and ended up rescuing a little ragamuffin toy poodle puppy named Tiny. Because I was traveling on business, I flew there and back in uniform. This was before we transitioned to […]
Randy | September 3, 2008
There’s an old saying: “Some days you get the bear, some days the bear gets you.” On 5 July 2007, Sea Kayaking the Inside Passage posted this story on their website under the heading, Kayaker Fights Off Starving Wolf. As a wilderness survival instructor, and bush traveller of no small experience, I read this article […]