This week at Casey we hear about the abundance of snow on station, and the problems this causes. We also hear about experiments in home-made beef jerky, everybody’s friend Herman, and steaks with the blues.

My mate Herman

Last week I made a new friend: Herman Nelson. Herman is generally full of hot air but he is the kind of guy that when it’s cold, windy, snowing and you have a tractor that doesn’t want to start, will lend a hand to get it going.

Last week Steve Mc and I went to A08 to pick up two snow blowers and the loader, and it took all day to accomplish half the task mainly because the loader didn’t want to start. After finally getting the loader going and loading the snow blowers onto the float we decided to come back the next day to pick up the loader.

The next day we went back and with the help of the generator to warm the batteries and engine again and my new friend Herman Nelson to blow some hot air up the intake, the loader started first go and we were home in time for lunch.

– Cary

A Herman Nelson hot air blower
An expeditioner removing snow from inside the engine bay of a loader
Heating the engine bay of a loader with a hot air blower
A snowy cold day for work outside at Casey station
Loader chained down and ready to return to Casey

The jerky factory

Everyone looks forward to having a beer on Friday afternoon but Nick and I felt like something was missing… Beef Jerky! So we Googled a recipe, raided the kitchen and had a go at making our own.

Beef jerky being prepared, ready to be hung out
An expeditioner hanging up some beef jerky for drying.
An expeditioner tasting some home made jerky at the bar.
Expeditioners tasting some home made beef jerky at the bar.

Steak with the blues

Supposedly a low key no fuss Saturday night at Casey turned into a steak with a touch of the blues evening. Rob, on Slushy for the day, took the initiative, first decorating the table (complete with guitar centrepiece), then turning up the music (brother and blues player from Adelaide ‘Rusty Bonnet’), then garnishing and artistically presenting each perfectly cooked steak (with hydroponic vegies on the side).

As you can see below even the small steaks were huge (certainly not a vegetarian’s cup of tea). For afters we were transported back to childhood with a bright red crunchy toffee apple — the doctor / would-be dentist’s nemesis!

Table set for Saturday night dinner
Steak on the grill in the kitchen
Eddie Dawson Chef at Casey 2014
Rob Bennett serving up steak in the kitchen
Steak on boards prior to serving for Saturday night dinner
Ali Dean with her steak ready to eat at Saturday night dinner
Steak presented on board ready to serve
Toffee apples ready for dessert

Pushing snow

Over the past week it has been snowing regularly, and combined with the lack of wind (except for Friday and Saturday) the snow hasn’t been blown away, so it has been building up everywhere. This extra snow has kept me busy clearing snow to maintain access to the buildings around station. Sometimes the weather can’t fit all the snow around station so it compacts the left over snow and hides it in the engine bay of the machines we use.

– Cary

Skidsteer in the field store at Casey station, preparing to clear snow
Casey workshop doors with external snow build up
A quad track tractor after a heavy snowfall
The engine bay of the quad track
on