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How To Do Everything Better  (33-2)  By Craig Ritchie

How To Build The Perfect Campfire You can always rely on boy scouts when it comes to certain things, like doing good deeds, walking little old ladies across busy streets, and building awesome campfires. Julian Celms, program director for Scouts Canada, insists that technique is the key to creating the ultimate marshmallow toaster. To burn, a fire needs heat, fuel and oxygen. The trick, says Celms, is to build your fire in a way that encourages air flow. Build it flat on the ground and more often than not, your fire will choke out and die because air can’t get in. Start by gathering all the stuff you need – tinder (small, highly flammable stuff like dried grass, leaves, bark and tiny sticks), kindling (small sticks the size of a pencil) and increasingly larger logs, from wiener-sized up to full-scale fire logs. Also grab a bucket of water so you can put the thing out. “You take a two-foot stick that’s about the thickness of a broom handle, and drive it into the ground on a 45 degree angle,” explains Celms. “You place a grapefruit-sized ball of tinder under this stick about halfway along it, then lean your kindling against the stick over top of the tinder, like you’re building a lean-to.” If there’s a bit of wind, Celms advises having the open end of the lean-to (the part that’s not stuck in the ground) facing into the breeze, to better aerate the fire. Just be careful that any airborne cinders won’t blow back onto anything flammable, like gas cans, wood piles or your shiny new RV. Light the tinder with a match and the resulting fire should burn the kindling. As it burns, add progressively larger twigs, gradually moving up to full-sized logs. “It’s important to ensure you have everything you need right there with you before you light the match,” cautions Celms. “If you run out of small sticks and have to run off to gather more, your fire will probably go out before you return. Or worse, it might go the other way and burn down the campground. You want to have everything you need right there beside you, right from the start. “At that point, you break out the marshmallows and enjoy.” You can find a wealth of great outdoors tips in The Field Book for Canadian Scouting, which sells for about $16 at local scout shops (check for a nearby location at www.scouts.ca). After all, one has to be prepared. How To Nail A Ringer Pitching horseshoes is one of those things that isn’t as easy as it looks. Consistently nailing ringers takes a lot of practice, and just the right technique. “The ideal is to pitch the shoe so it makes one complete revolution in the air, landing with the open end facing the peg,” says pitcher Lee Bond, of the Brantford (Ontario) Indoor Horseshoe Club. “It is important to bend your knees and take a step forward as you pitch, so you have your body momentum in sync. You want your arm and your leg coming forward together at the same time so your pitch is balanced and fluid. You want a nice, smooth follow-through.” Also important is to avoid throwing across your body. If you throw with your right hand, you want to stand to the left of the peg, so your right arm is perfectly in line with the target. A right-handed thrower who stands to the right of the peg will have to pitch across their body, which makes it tough to attain consistent accuracy. If you’re not having much luck, try to avoid the natural temptation to throw harder. “Over-throwing will hurt your accuracy,” warns Bond. “If things aren’t going well, then slow down.” To see just how good some pitchers can become, check out the Canadian Horseshoe Championships in Victoria from July 14 to 17, where more than 500 competitors are expected. How To Catch Trout For Breakfast Many people enjoy camping because it affords them the opportunity to reconnect with our natural world. And what better way to do that than by catching some tasty trout for breakfast? “Catching trout is easy,“ says Pete Bowman, pro angler and co-host of the nationally-syndicated Fish’N Canada show. “All you need is a light action rod and reel, light line (regular eight pound test is fine), some split shot sinkers, small hooks and of course, live bait. Small worms work as well as anything.” Bowman says stealth is the key to his success. He advises keeping a low profile as you walk along the stream, and being careful to avoid heavy footsteps that can betray your presence. Cast your line into any dark spots where you can’t see bottom, such as deep bends, under log jams, or adjacent to steep banks or places where the brush overhangs the water. “You hook the worm once through the body near the front,” advises Bowman. “Don’t thread it onto the hook into a ball, and don’t even use a sinker unless the current is so strong you can’t get the worm to the bottom otherwise. The key is to drift the bait along with the current in a natural manner. You position yourself up-current of the spot and either make a short cast or simply let line off the reel, allowing the worm to pass along the stream bed. If a trout is there, you’ll get a bite pretty quickly.” Once you’ve caught enough critters for a good feed, you clean them, dip them in beaten eggs then either flour or breadcrumbs, and fry in hot oil. Mmmmmm! Food for the Gods! (Page Top) How To Take Amazing Vacation Pictures Montreal-based travel photographer, Jim Rudey, says the key to taking awesome vacation photos is to think of the number three. “Instead of taking one picture of something and hoping it comes out well, I’ll always shoot at least three pictures of the same thing. But, the three pictures will all be a little bit different,” says Rudey, who has had his photography published in more than 30 different magazines in Canada and the United States. Rudey recommends a 35mm SLR camera with a small zoom lens in the 24mm to 70mm or 28mm to 85mm range. “Open the lens up wide and take your first picture at the 24mm or 28mm setting, so you can take in an entire panoramic scene,” he explains. “Then zoom in about halfway and take a second photo, this one omitting a bit of the background and focusing more on the subject. Finally, zoom in all the way and take a third picture, concentrating on the subject alone. Out of the three photos you’ve shot, one will always wind up being much better than the others, and that’s the one that goes in the album when you get home.” While Rudey agrees you’ll go through more film this way, he feels the extra expense is negligible. “When you consider the overall cost of a vacation, the price of a couple extra rolls of film is peanuts. After all, we’re talking about your memories. You’re looking at experiences you may never have again.” Of course, you’ll want to try to keep the sun over your shoulder whenever possible, so your photos are evenly lit. And if you can, try shooting photos in the mornings or afternoons instead of at mid-day. “Morning and afternoon light is rich, and warm, and golden,” says Rudey. “By contrast, direct overhead sunlight like we see at high noon, is blah and flat and harsh, so pictures taken then never look as good as those shot earlier or later in the day.” How To Taste Wine Canadian vintners produce some of the best wines in the world, so no surprise that wine tours have become extremely popular. Of course the highlight comes at the end of the tour when you get to sample the merchandise. Like anything else, there’s a right way and a wrong way to taste wine, and it has nothing to do with the whole snob thing. You want to do it right so you get the most out of the experience. Maria Moessner, estate sommelier for Inniskillin Estate Wines in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario, says it is important to start with the right glass. Dixie cups are out. “I highly recommend Riedel crystal, varietal stemware,” says Moessner. “Alternatively, a plain tulip-shaped, crystal glass, which has a thin narrow rim and wider base, will be sufficient. “When pouring, don't fill the glass too full. One to two ounces is sufficient, otherwise swirling can get rather messy.” Once you’re poured and ready to go, you hold the glass by the stem and tilt it slightly away from you, so you can get a good look at the wine, preferably against a white background. Wine should always be clear and bright. If it’s cloudy or hazy, something’s wrong. “Wine colors will vary due to the grape variety used, the style in which it's produced, the region in where it's grown and the age of the wine,” explains Moessner. “White wines gain color with age, while red wines grow lighter. Generally, wines of lighter color (red or white) tend to be lighter in style, while those with deep intense colors are usually fuller-bodied.” Swirl the wine around in the glass to aerate it and release its aromas (nature's influence) and bouquet (winemakers influence). Notice how it clings to the sides of the glass and streams down – thick streams (called ‘legs’) usually indicate higher alcohol or sugar content, while thinner streams indicate a wine that’s light and dry. Now it’s time for the sniff test. Swirl the wine again then put your nose right in there and take two long, deep sniffs. Your schnoz plays a huge role in the enjoyment of wine, says Moessner. “Just for fun, try sipping the same wine twice, first with your nose pinched shut, then again normally. The difference is truly unbelievable.” Finally, you’re ready to taste. “You have more than 3,000 taste buds, so be sure to use them all,” advises Moessner. “Flow the wine around evenly in your mouth, and take in a small amount of air to intensify your experience.” Do you spit or swallow? If you are doing some serious sampling, then spitting is a necessity. Your senses will dull otherwise after tasting eight to 10 different wines (not to mention the fact you’ll be half in the bag). Different story though if you’re camped out under the awning, relaxing at the end of a wonderful summer’s day. Then, you relax, enjoy, and savor the gift of the grape. (Page Top) How To Shuck Oysters What could be more romantic than a bottle of wine and some fresh-shucked oysters on the half-shell? But shucking oysters isn’t as easy as it looks. You’ll need to practice your technique before you’ll be good enough to compete with the pros at the Prince Edward Island International Shellfish Festival, held each September on the Charlottetown waterfront. “To really enjoy an oyster, it has to be well-shucked. This means that it is free from grit, and that it has been totally loosened from the cup, or the bottom half of the shell” says two-time Canadian champion shucker, John Bil. “Your job will be easier if you buy ‘choice’ or ‘fancy’ grade oysters. These indicate the shape of the shell, not its size. The shape should be more rounded and even.” People have used everything from bottle openers to screwdrivers to open oysters, but nothing beats a good quality oyster knife. They generally feature a short, narrow, stiff blade, which may be slightly sharpened. “Put a cloth down on a tabletop, lay the oyster on top and take a good look at it,” advises Bil. “You’ll see that one end seems to come to a point, and there is a bit of a gap there, between the shells. This is known as the hinge, or the back of the oyster. Insert the knife into the hinge and, holding the oyster firmly with your free hand, apply a steady twisting pressure with the knife, keeping the blade at a slightly downward angle. You should feel the knife working its’ way in slightly, and then the shells should pop.” Now you just need to cut the oyster away from the shell. Scrape your knife along the inside of the shallower top shell first. The oyster will be attached at a point about two-thirds of the way to the front. Cut it loose and discard the top shell. The bottom shell, being deeper, is a little tougher to navigate. The oyster is attached to the bottom shell in the same place it was attached to the top, so turn it around and cut it loose. Clean out any little bits of grit or shell that you may have left in the oyster, and serve them up on crushed ice. Good job, chef! Let the eating begin! How To Hit A Hole-In-One Although every golfer knows their chances of actually hitting a hole-in-one rank right down there with the odds of Tiger Woods showing up at their house to clean their clubs with his toothbrush, miracles do sometimes happen. Gary Bernard, a class A pro at the Fairmont Algonquin Resort Academy in St. Andrews, New Brunswick, and national education advisor for the Canadian PGA, says you’ll stack the odds in your favor by paying attention to technical details. “For starters, be sure to use enough club, because being short on this shot just won’t cut the mustard,” explains Bernard. “Then, you align the clubface to your target. Align your body parallel to, and to the side of, the ball and your intended target line. Play the ball slightly forward of center in your stance, then let go of all your golf demons so you swing the club with the ease and grace of a Tai-Chi master.” In other words, become one with the club so it feels like that hypothetical extension of your arms we always read about in golf magazines. Having thus surrendered yourself to the magic of your sub-conscious and let fly, you should – in theory – then be able to retrieve your ball from the cup and enjoy your newfound 15 minutes of fame. How To Win At Ping Pong Since marking its first appearance as an Olympic sport at the 1988 summer games in Seoul, Korea, table tennis, or ping pong, has soared in popularity world-wide. Mikael Andersson, national coaching director for Table Tennis Canada, says good technique is important, but it really pays to be sneaky. Technique first – you make your life easier by playing from the correct position. Stand far enough back from the table that you can barely touch it with the end of the paddle when your arm is stretched out directly in front. You grip the paddle with either a penholder grip (holding the handle portion as you would hold a pen) or the much more popular shakehand grip, where you take the handle completely in your palm rather than between your fingers. Its like you’re shaking hands with the paddle. “The shakehand grip allows you to hit the ball with either a forehand or a backhand stroke, so it is generally a better choice” says Andersson. “You bend your knees and make sure that all your moves finish with you holding the paddle in front of you. If you finish your shot and the paddle is still off to one side, your opponent will simply hit the ball back the opposite way. You can’t react quickly enough if you have to go all the way across your body, so it is very important to keep that paddle out in front at all times.” Now for the sneaky part: To really put your opponent away fast, learn to spin the ball by imparting a slicing motion when you hit it. Spinning the ball will cause it to take wild, completely unpredictable bounces off the table surface, which can be almost impossible for your opponent to respond to. “Spinning the ball is a difficult skill to learn,” says Andersson. “ But once you become proficient, no one will beat you. At least, no one who isn’t already on the national team.” How To Dance Like Fred and Ginger You and your other half want to dance like Fred and Ginger, but you’re afraid of looking more like Fred and Barney. No worries, says Bill Jacobsen, a former Canadian champion ballroom dancer and director of the Dance Tonight studios in Edmonton. Any couple can dance like pros once the man learns to treat his lady like a grocery cart. “It sounds silly, but it really is a good analogy,” laughs Jacobsen. “The man needs to stand up straight and give the lady something to dance with, by holding his elbows out strong and firm. You know, like you push a grocery cart. You don’t push a grocery cart around with your gut, so you shouldn’t dance that way either.” At the same time, the lady should resist the natural temptation to dance on her toes, taking little short steps. Because women are generally not as tall as their partner, they often automatically shift up on their toes to dance. But that makes them take much shorter steps than normal, and results in them getting stepped on. The ballroom rule is that the foot on the bottom is the one at fault. The key to dancing, Jacobsen insists, is to forget about modern political correctness and for men to lead, and women to follow. “The man needs to decide where he’s going to go on the dance floor, and then he needs to go there with some sort of authority. The lady, in turn, follows his lead. Couples get tangled up when the communication breaks down. The man isn’t definitive, or he tries to direct his partner to go one way instead of inviting to do so. He wants her to go this way, she isn’t sure what he wants her to do, and someone winds up on doing a face plant.” Don’t buy into the age-old clap-trap about some people having no rhythm at all. Everyone can dance, but some may have trouble keeping time to the music. Listening to the bass line helps. “Finally, don’t ever be afraid to be the first ones on the dance floor,” says Jacobsen. “Forget about everyone else and just have fun. The fact is, even if you mess up a little, people have no idea and no one knows anyway. We do this for fun, so just let go and enjoy.” (Page Top) How To Win In The Casino Most of us have at one time or another fantasized about hitting it big in the casino. Of course the casino is going to win most of the time, but the fact remains, every single day people walk out of these joints with mountains of cash. The trick is to put the odds in your favor. We all know how slot machines work – you put in your coin or token, pull the handle, and hope for the best. But you can do better. “Most slots will allow you to put in two or three coins per pull, multiplying your payout should you win,” offers Las Vegas-based gaming expert and former pro gambler, John Dickson. “The jackpot may pay 200 coins with one coin played, but pay out 1,000 coins when three coins are played. When you place the maximum bet you can, you’ll collect bigger winnings. “If you feel comfortable betting $1 per pull, for example, then you are far better off to play at a 25 cent machine, inserting four quarters at a time, rather than at the one dollar machine playing one coin per pull. Because either way you’ve still bet only a dollar, but if you win on the quarter machine, you’ll get a much greater reward because you played four coins instead of just one.” Prefer dice to slots? The craps table is another good place to stack the odds in your favor. “Craps is one of the only games that allows you to bet with the casino, and against other players,” explains Dickson. A craps game begins when a shooter rolls two dice. If he rolls a 10, for example, the game will go on till he either rolls a 10 again (and he wins) or he rolls a seven (and he loses, or “craps out”). “With two dice, there are more ways to roll a seven than any other number,” explains Dickson. “Sixes and eights are also relatively easy to roll because there are so many possible combinations that result in those totals. By comparison, a two or a 12 are very difficult to roll, because only one combination produces it. So when a shooter begins a game by rolling a difficult number, like two or 12, that’s your cue to bet against him. Chances are, he’ll roll a seven and lose before he rolls another two or another 12. If he does that, you win.” How To Pan Gold Thousands of tourists from around the world descend on the Yukon’s fabled Klondike each year, most of them with secret fantasies of finding gold. Panning creeks for nuggets is a must-do activity for anyone visiting the Yukon. Most people pan nothing more than rocks, but if you know what to look for, your odds of finding gold are still excellent. You just have to know where to look. Morris George, who with wife Sandy operates Eureka Gold Panning Adventures (www.eurekagoldpanning.com), says the secret to finding gold is to dig deep. Really deep. “Most of the gold in the Klondike is found in prehistoric creek channels that are buried under about 23,000 years’ worth of debris” says George. “So you want to concentrate on areas where erosion has washed away this overburden, and exposed the ancient strata.” Once you’ve found a suitable creek, you’ll need a pan. Gold pans look like big, deep, dinner plates, and may or may not have ridges rimming the perimeter to help keep gold flakes from washing out. You scoop a load of gravel from the bottom of the creek, then with the pan still submerged, slosh the gravel and debris around in a gentle circular motion. Gold is seven times heavier than gravel, and 19 times heavier than water, so it sinks to the bottom of the pan rather than being washed out. Lift the pan from the water and continue sloshing the water around in a circular motion till it’s gone. In the bottom of the pan, you’ll find some heavy rocks, and with any luck, bits of gold. Yosemite Sam would be proud. How To BBQ The Perfect Steak What is summer without barbequing a couple of steaks? Nothing celebrates the sunny season like a tender T-bone or a succulent sirloin sizzling away on the grill. Great steak dinners begin with great steaks, says Pamela Singh, assistant manager of corporate affairs for Kraft Canada, makers of Bullseye BBQ Sauce. Don’t scrimp on meat – if you’re going to do this right, you start with a top-quality sirloin or T-bone, with plenty of marbling. To reduce flare-ups, trim the fat to about one-quarter inch thick, and slash the edges at one-inch intervals. “It’s always a good idea to let beef sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes (no longer though) before grilling it. This standing time gives you a more tender steak,” advises Singh. “Then pre-heat the grill. This is really important, because a hot grill will immediately sear in the juices, so your steak doesn’t dry out.” As soon as the meat hits the grill, turn the barbeque down to medium heat. For a one-inch thick steak, allow four minutes on each side for rare, five minutes for medium and six minutes for well done. You turn the steaks when the bottom appears well browned. Always use tongs for this delicate task. Piercing a steak with a fork allows the juices to run out, leaving your prized dinner tasting like a mouthful of sawdust. “A steak that is rare will feel soft & juicy to the touch,” says Singh. “Medium is firmer, but still spongy to the touch. Well-done is firm throughout.” Tender steaks like premium sirloins and T-bones don’t require marinating prior to cooking, but that’s a matter of personal taste. For great tips on preparing steaks (or virtually any other type of food) visit Kraft Canada’s extensive (and fabulous) website, at www.kraftcanada.com. (Page Top) How To Shoot Pool Like Minnesota Fats Pool has its roots in French croquet. Played on a lawn, a ball (or bille, hence the name billiards) would be hit around at other balls. Downsized and moved indoors so it could be enjoyed year-round, the French kept the connection to the lawn by playing it on green felt. The pool most of us play today is a game called eight-ball. There are actually 15 balls – seven solid colored, seven striped, and the eight ball itself which is solid black. You sink all the balls of your type (stripes or solids) then pot the eight ball before your opponent does and you win. The only real way to become really good at pool is to practice – lots. But there are a few things you can do to accelerate that learning curve. “The biggest problem most people have is that they just don’t relax when they shoot,” says former Canadian billiards champion, Mike Jarvis. “Many people tense up as they take aim, they hold their breath, and they make it terribly hard for themselves to hit the ball straight.” Jarvis suggests taking a couple of slow, deep breaths as you aim the ball, then exhaling completely right before you shoot. “The body is most stable at that point,” he explains, “so you’ll generally get a much more accurate shot.” The way the cue ball strikes the ball you’re trying to sink will affect its direction. Hit it straight on, and the ball rolls straight forward. Hit it on one side or the other, and the ball will deflect in the opposite direction. “You don’t need to hit the ball very hard,” says Jarvis. “To develop a feel for it, you’re better off to hit the ball less aggressively, so you can see how it reacts. That will give you a good guide for future shots.” How your cue stick strikes the cue ball will also affect your shot. Hitting it straight on will provide a straight-line shot. Hitting the cue ball towards the bottom will cause it to back-spin, which will normally make it stop rolling after it strikes another ball. This can save it from rolling into a pocket itself, or wandering down the table, leaving you in a poor position to take a follow-up shot. Conversely, hitting the cue ball near the top will make it roll farther, a great tactic when you don’t actually expect to sink a ball, but simply wish to move the cue ball to the other end of the table to inconvenience your opponent. Hitting the ball on the sides will also impart a spin, sending the ball arcing in the opposite direction. How To Dig Clams There’s nothing like freshly -steamed clams to highlight any seaside holiday. Even better is when you dig the clams yourself. Stephen Wong, a food and beverage consultant and cook book author based in Vancouver, says gathering the little beasties is almost as much fun as eating them. “You find clams at low tide, in the inter-tidal zone on sandy beaches,” offers Wong. “As you walk along among the tide pools, you’ll see little holes in the sand, which reveal were a clam has withdrawn it's neck or started to dig. Generally, a larger hole indicates a larger clam, but not always. “Clams might bury from six inches to maybe a foot deep in the sand, so you can use a shovel or even just your hands to dig them out,” advises Wong. “Generally places which are covered by an inch or two of water are better than dry sand, because the clams there will be much closer to the surface. It’s also easier to dig in the wet spots if you’re gathering them by hand.” Clams are subject to open seasons and possession limits, so be sure to check the regulations before you begin scooping them up. Most marinas or fishing stores should be able to give you the latest, or you can check in with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans web site (www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/). That’s also a good way to check for Red Tide advisories as well (a natural phenomenon, red tides are times when you want to avoid shellfish entirely). Once you’ve dug up enough clams for a feed, Wong advises letting them soak in a pail full of sea water for an hour or two, to free them of remnant sand or debris. “Then, you eat them and enjoy.” How To Win In Monopoly Every RV needs a Monopoly board. And since it’s only a matter of time till you face a rainy day or an evening meant for relaxation, you’d best hone your skills to keep from going bankrupt once the games begin. Canadian Monopoly champion, Dana Bryant, follows a simple strategy to keep ahead of the other players. “On average, people need five turns to make it around the board,” says Bryant. “So if you look at the board with that in mind, you can begin to predict which spaces people will land on most frequently. Illinois Avenue is the square most often landed on, followed by the B&O Railroad and Go. “The orange properties are also great because of their relationship to Jail. Everyone winds up in Jail eventually. Because six, seven or eight are the most common results when you roll two die, players often come out of Jail, roll a six or an eight, and wind up directly on the orange properties. They’re good ones to put hotels on. Bryant advises trying to acquire all the properties within a color group so you have a monopoly, even if that means trading with other players. “Then put up three houses on each property as quickly as possible. The rent increases substantially between two houses and three houses. On Illinois Avenue, for instance, it jumps from $300 to $750.” The exception comes when you’re stuck with nothing but low-income properties. Then, Bryant advises building four houses on each property, simply to tie up the number of buildings available for other players. 20 of the 32 houses in a standard Monopoly game could be tied up on just five properties. “Finally, if you can only afford to build houses on one of the properties within a color group, put them on the last one. It costs the same, but the rent collected is higher.” Follow that advice and you’ll be ready to join Bryant at the next World Monopoly Championships in Hong Kong this October. For more info, check out www.monopoly.com. (Page Top)