Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler Masonry Heater is up and running

Thanks, Rick. If you saw the fireplace in person you would be less surprised it can heat the whole house. After all, it *is* 7-1/2 feet tall and weighs about four thousand pounds not counting chimney, hearth or foundation

The night I fired up the masonry heater for the first time, I had some friends visiting. Part of the purpose of the visit was to try to recreate a specific German rye bread they liked. They ended up staying the night, and I made some sourdough english muffins in the morning which were a big hit. At the end of the visit, they asked me for some sourdough starter, so I split some off, fed it and sent it home with them.

I asked a few days later if the starter had survived the trip home -- the answer was a curt "no, I'll explain later", which seemed really odd. It wasn't a great starter but it was pretty tough -- it's survived me for at least 6 months now, including being left in both very hot and very cold cars, so I was surprised that my friends (who are smart, careful people) had been able to kill it.

Well, I got the story tonight. Turns out that when they left my place they put the starter, in a tupperware container, in the back of their Jeep along with Kingston, a large chocolate lab (retriever).

When they got home, the tupperware was empty and very clean.

Erp !!

Well that solves the mystery!

Very entertaining story, thanks Bridgeman.

In the "oh my god" department... very interesting link here by a gentleman who spent the last six years trying to duplicate the taste of his favorite New York pizzeria. One of the many critical steps turned out to be jimmying the interlocks on his oven so that he could open the door during the self-clean cycle, giving him the 800+ degree temperatures needed for that authentic thin, crispy crust.



http://www.sliceny.com/jvpizza.php

Ah yes, man's best friend. I remember one night, after working late. I was feeling poorly, exhausted and starving. Nothing in the fridge so I ordered delivery from a Mexican eatery which delivered (at a premium). I was in dire need of comfort food and didn't feel like going out at all. Shortly after it arrived, around 10pm I finally sat down to eat in front of the TV, but before I could take my first bite, the phone rang in the other room. When I returned to finally dive into that tasty beef enchillada dinner, It was gone! The dish was licked totally clean by none other than our trusty spaniel "Scooby".

If she wasn't the best dog I have ever had the pleasure to own, at least until then, she would have been found along a deserted road somewhere.

Live and learn...

Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend.

Inside a dog, it's too dark to read.

Oh I gotta use that one, Tom. Beautiful! I'll try to remember to give you credit, though.

Ya know Tom, you have a point there. You don't have to feed them, walk them or clean up after them when they just decide to take a zap when ever they feel like it! AND a book won't eat your dinner!

Oh, don't give ME credit, Jack. I can't even remember who I stole it from.