Every year my father-in-law, Leo, hosts a pig roast and last weekend was his 15th year of sponsoring this event. In the beginning, he did most of the work with support from his kids, but now at 85, his kids do most of the work with support from their father. Everyone pitched in to make the picnic a success where truly a good time was had by one and all.
Below are a few pictures from the day.
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| Leo had a nice yard for the event with a good combination of trees and grassy areas. |
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However, with the trees came several exposed roots which we tried to mark
especially since there were guests there with limited mobility. |
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| The weather was great that day, but there had been a lot of rain the week before which resulted in soggy ground. Some of the chairs sunk several inches into the ground resulting in some near catastrophes before we figured out that cardboard under the legs would prevent the problem. |
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| There were festive touches here and there such as these pig lights that Miss Landers gave to Leo. |
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| and the paper mache pig made by my sister-in-law. |
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| Ward does the pig roasting and carving every year. Other guests bring sides or a dessert. |
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There were guests of all ages such as this little boy, who could not take his eyes off of the carving,
to many in the over 80 crowd. |
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| One of the highlights in recent years has been the family and friends band. This year there was an added bonus of a gospel singer, one of Leo's friends. |
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| Several years ago, Leo decided he was going to join the family band by playing bongos. This year his musical persona donned a grey beard while playing. You're never quite sure what Leo has in store, but his new look definitely contributed to the good time that was had by one and all. |
That looks fun! I love that there was a band. Does everyone sing along?
ReplyDeleteThey encourage singing, but there were several hours of music--some of it was instrumental, some original songs, as well as some well-known, sing-along songs. The best was the gospel singer that got the crowd going.
DeleteJudging by your photos, it does look like there was a good time for all at the annual pig roast. Y'all actually roast a whole hog over the fire? I love barbecue! Do you make your own bbq sauce or do you have favorite store brand? I like buying a pork roast and prepare it in the oven then I'll pull it to top with barbecue sauce. It turns out pretty good. I love family gatherings like this, though. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYes, we roast the whole pig on a spit over coals for a long, slow cook. My father-in-law has rigged up the whole pig cooker with cinder blocks and bits and pieces that he's recycled. It's amazing what he's put together. Part of the entertainment each year is explaining how the pig cooker works and what all of the parts are that went into making it.
DeleteSome years we make our own BBQ sauce but that's my husband's specialty. I'm happy with most any kind, however the rest of my family prefers Stubbs.
Oh, that looks like such a wonderful family event! A lot of work to set it all up, I'm sure, but what lovely memories and a chance to bond! I'm glad you were able to participate and figure out solutions to all the challenges like exposed tree roots and sinking chair legs! Love the family and friends band, bearded bongo players and all!
ReplyDeleteIt is a lot of work, however, it makes my father-in-law very happy, so I'm glad to do it. And it's not only him that is happy. Many people look forward to it every year and say that it is the highlight--especially some of the older crowd who don't get out much.
DeleteWow that looks like fun! What a great time, to have so many friends and family father. Those chairs needed snow shoes, so to speak and they got them! Love the beard look!
ReplyDeleteI like the way you describe the cardboard under the chair legs-snowshoes. I guess we could call them mudshoes. :)
DeleteOh my, I think I've been hanging out with lefty hippies too long. At most of the parties I attend, it's considered a bit risqué to serve meat, let alone roast an entire pig! I honestly think some of my friends might want to picket and protest. Anyhow, it does sound like a fun party, though I don't think I could look at the face of the pig without crying... I know that's totally hypocritical since I have started eating meat again. I guess I'm just a seething cauldron of contradictions!
ReplyDeleteI'm with you. I don't want to have anything to do with the pig. I have a hard time with it emotionally. But I do eat meat occasionally and intellectually, I think it's good to see where meat comes from.
DeleteMy father-in-law and most of his friends are from a different generation where there weren't many vegetarians around. People had been eating meat for thousands of years before them and they don't think differently. My father grew up on a farm and raising animals to eat was just a part of life along with raising all of the vegetables you would eat.
There were some people at the picnic who didn't eat pork for religious reasons, but there was chicken for them.
The party was fun and was set up so that you could avoid the whole thing if you wanted to. I think you would have liked it.
Wow, what a great time, June. You can't beat that!
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