Bar-B-Que

That's the American thing to do on Labor Day. BBQ.  Vacation's over for many of the youngsters starting tomorrow morning and it's back to work for most of the rest of us.  The fortunate ones of us who still have needed jobs, that is.

But this post is about BBQ, not jobs.  We in this household managed to sort of BBQ today.  After assembling and hanging the rain gutter parts I bought the other day, I still managed to find the time to fire up the ol' grill.  Of course, there was not enough time to use it properly, all I did was steam a bunch of asparagus on it. 

I broke the spears in half and tossed the ugly part.  Then put the tips on a sheet of tin foil, added half a ton of butter, sprinkled Lemon Pepper over everything, and then sealed the foil.  It then went on the upper tray on the BBQ for 20 minutes.  Steamed asparagus - an epicurean delight.

Had I taken the same care with the rest of the meal I could claim to be a chef and make six or seven dollars an hour.  But instead all I did was heat up some left over Lasagna in the microwave.  It's a pity, but at least the kitchen didn't cause the whole house to overheat this afternoon, and that was the plan all along.

Just because I have no clue how to celebrate Labor Day, it doesn't mean my friends suffer the same lack of class.  They know how to do it right. 

All my old buddies in Los Alamos hung signs around town the first part of last week letting everybody know they were gonna give free airplane rides to kids between the ages of eight and seventeen.  They all gathered at the airport today and gave rides to more than 90 kids this morning.

I used to participate in this free flight thing, in fact I was in charge of Chapter 691's program for many years.  My first ride was free, and I tried to pay back the guy who gave it to me so many years ago by passing it on.  That's me, several years ago, along with a first timer and my trusted wings, "The Bumble Bee."  Black and yellow, get it?  Part of the first ride includes a little knowledge, and here I was explaining how the various control surfaces worked before we departed.

We all belong to a nationwide group of pilots , the Experimental Aircraft Association,  and since 1992 the group has given more than 1.6 million kids a ride.  Honorary chairmen have included Gen. Chuck Yeager, Harrison Ford, and now "Sully" Sullenberger. 

After they flew every kid who showed up, they all gathered at Jeff's hanger and fired up several BBQ's.  That's the way it should be done.  Several BBQ's, a ton of friends and family, and a good cause to boot.  I'm bettting there were several gatherings that equalled this one today, but none that exceeded it. 

Well done, guys.  I'm also betting you inspired a future pilot or two today.  And for sure the cow did not die in vain!