Welcome to Breakfast in America

I’m a Brit who unexpectedly emigrated to the USA in 2008, and this is my photo journal.

It’s an eclectic mix of things; there’s no guiding theme or topic. It is whatever catches my attention, what I’ve been thinking, doing, or piques my interest. Currently that’s mainly backpacking and clearing some of the backlog on my ‘honey-do’ list.

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The Ridge Wallet - My minimalist wallet for everyday useThe Ridge Wallet – My minimalist wallet for everyday use
White-Marked Tussock Moth - (Orgyia leucostigma)White-Marked Tussock Moth – (Orgyia leucostigma)
Royal Mail Sorting Office / Post Office, Slindon Street, PortsmouthRoyal Mail Sorting Office / Post Office, Slindon Street, Portsmouth
Hadham Hall SchoolHadham Hall School
Hadham Hall School, October 1968Hadham Hall School, October 1968
Small Product Photography Set-up in a Closet (Our 'photo closet')Small Product Photography Set-up in a Closet (Our 'photo closet')

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Four days hiking the Big Piney Trail, Paddy Creek Wilderness, Missouri. December 2023Four days hiking the Big Piney Trail, Paddy Creek Wilderness, Missouri. December 2023
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Memories

A dozen pictures, picked at random from my favorite memories. You can see my portfolio here.

Contemplation (365: 331)

Contemplation (365: 331) — A lot to think about tonight, and not all of it is as black as this picture paints.

Break (365: 90)

Break (365: 90) – Work on renovating the hall has begun. Today we took down the ceilings on the middle and ground landings and my work room. we also took out the wall between the landing and my work room.

Old Tools

Old Tools. Detail from inside the tool chest.

Sunset – Cedar Ridge, Stockton Lake, Missouri

Sunset – Cedar Ridge, Stockton Lake, Missouri – Tom took me night fishing on Stockton Lake, and despite a slow start we managed to catch some nice fish. The sunset over the lake was absolutely stunning.

Lanie (January 2012)

Lanie (January 2012) – Some pictures from January 2012 rescued from the cutting room floor. 9 Pictures

Exercise – Mowing the front yard

Overdoing things mowing the front yard – Today the temperatures eased off slightly for the first time in many weeks. It was just low enough for me to venture out to tend to the front yard for a few hours.

Recent Posts

  • Preparing second breakfast — Peak Refuel Biscuits and Gravy

    Preparing second breakfast — Peak Refuel Biscuits and Gravy. I’m glad I anticipated the burn ban and brought along my butane stove. Backpacking the Big Piney Trail, February 2026. Copyright © 2026 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    I’m glad I anticipated the burn ban and brought along my butane stove. As I understand it, you are not supposed to use any stove that cannot be turned off during a burn ban. I’ve had my alcohol stove blow over in a high wind (fortunately on a creek’s pebble beach), so that makes sense to me.

  • View from my hammock at ‘Paddy Creek Trolltunga’

    View from my hammock at ‘Paddy Creek Trolltunga’ — The real Trolltunga is around 2,300 feet above the lake below it. ‘Paddy Creek Trolltunga’ — my tunga-in-cheek name for this spot, has an initial drop of around 15 feet, and is 50-60 feet above the hollow’s floor. Backpacking the Big Piney Trail, February 2026. Copyright © 2026 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

  • Coffee and an (out of shot) Pop-Tart in my hammock

    Coffee and an (out of shot) Pop-Tart in my hammock. Eight o’clock and it’s warming up just a tad. Backpacking the Big Piney Trail, February 2026. Copyright © 2026 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

  • It got chilly last night – Day Three

    It got chilly last night — not quite as bad as the forecast at 26°F, though. Backpacking the Big Piney Trail, February 2026. Copyright © 2026 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    It got chilly last night — not quite as bad as the forecast at 26°F. My plan worked, and I was too warm at times.

    What was the plan? Well, I’d packed my big puffy jacket, and I always pack my light puffy, just because at 11oz it is lighter than a fleece, and it packs a lot smaller. I put the big puffy over my top quilt around my legs, and the lighter puffy over the quilt, over my body. Between them and the quilt I kept toasty.

    I brought along fleece pants for the hike out, and I’ve also got a base layer top and bottom. If the wind is really biting I’ve got my rain jacket to use as a windbreak as well. I’ll survive.

    Like my tiara? Apparently, I forgot to take my headlamp off last night. Oh well, I guess that kept the battery warm.

    Up and about — It was very slow to warm up despite the sunshine, and the wind was biting! That’s my light puffy I’m wearing. My big puffy has a hood and is long enough to keep my butt warm. Backpacking the Big Piney Trail, February 2026. Copyright © 2026 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    There is one minor issue, I’ve managed to injure my right knee. The pain is quite tolerable once I move it a bit. However, that has put paid to any thoughts I had of taking the longer route back to the trailhead via the North Loop.

  • Big Paddy Creek was low enough to ford at the old crossing point

    Big Paddy Creek was low enough to ford at the old crossing point — It’s the first time I’ve been able to cross here in quite a while. All the weed in the creek shows how low and slow the creek is at the moment. Backpacking the Big Piney Trail, February 2026. Copyright © 2026 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
    The new Big Paddy Creek crossing point — It doesn’t get more than knee deep here when the water is up to your crotch (well with my little legs) at the old crossing point which was washed out a year or so ago. Backpacking the Big Piney Trail, February 2026. Copyright © 2026 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

  • Gary at the Big Paddy Creek Scenic Overlook, Paddy Creek Wilderness

    Gary at the Big Paddy Creek Scenic Overlook, Paddy Creek Wilderness — It was very windy up on the ridge, and the wind was quite chilly, which was nice as it was 82°F in the sun. This is another Ozarks view I never tire of. Backpacking the Big Piney Trail, February 2026. Copyright © 2026 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    It was very windy up on the ridge, and the wind was quite chilly, which was nice as it was 82°F in the sun.

    This is another Ozarks view I never tire of.

    There’s cell service here, and I checked the forecast for tonight and tomorrow. Lows of 24°F overnight, then 34°F and windy tomorrow. That’s not what I planned for when I packed my 40°F top quilt. But I have a plan, and all should be good. I just need to get to ‘Paddy Creek Trolltunga‘, and that’s a few miles and several hundred feet of elevation gain away.

  • Big Paddy Creek Scenic Overlook, Paddy Creek Wilderness

    Big Paddy Creek Scenic Overlook, Paddy Creek Wilderness — I’ve taken pictures of this view before, but what the heck, here’s another. Backpacking the Big Piney Trail, February 2026. Copyright © 2026 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    I’ve taken pictures of this view before, but what the heck, here’s another. The road in the middle distance goes to the campground, the road running up to the top of the ridge is Paddy Creek Road. The trail crosses almost straight ahead in this image. I just have to get over there.

    Big Paddy Creek Scenic Overlook, Paddy Creek Wilderness — Backpacking the Big Piney Trail, February 2026. Copyright © 2026 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

  • Big Paddy Creek Scenic Overlook, Paddy Creek Wilderness

    Big Paddy Creek Scenic Overlook, Paddy Creek Wilderness — This is looking to the southeast. The campground is somewhere near the light patch in the distance. Backpacking the Big Piney Trail, February 2026. Copyright © 2026 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

  • Blazes? We don’t need no stinking blazes

    Blazes? We don’t need no stinking blazes — Backpacking the Big Piney Trail, February 2026. Copyright © 2026 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    Yes I’ve used that image title before. Then it was on the Berryman Trail. I hope they are more restrained here. At Berryman the trees were thinned out to the point where there’s very little shade left for hikers, and it looked pretty bare.

  • Paddy Creek Road Looking southeast, Big Piney Trail, Paddy Creek Wilderness — Day Two

    Paddy Creek Road Looking southeast, Big Piney Trail, Paddy Creek Wilderness — Day Two. Backpacking the Big Piney Trail, February 2026. Copyright © 2026 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    This is the first Paddy Creek Road crossing if you are hiking the trail clockwise. To the south of the road is Paddy Creek Wilderness, to the north, Mark Twain National Forest. We’re about to cross over into Mark Twain National Forest.

    View across Paddy Creek Road to the northeast, Big Piney Trail, Paddy Creek Wilderness — Backpacking the Big Piney Trail, February 2026. Copyright © 2026 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.

    Where the trail continues is easy to see across the road. Not so much the second crossing of Paddy Creek Road, above the Paddy Creek Campground. There you have to go up hill a few yards to find where the trail picks up.

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