| I've rarely been accused of over thinking a situation. | | | | was about to do and started yelling at him not to |
| My "code of the west" mentality has been good to | | | | use the gasoline to start the fire. Offers were made |
| me through the years, rescuing me many times from | | | | to run next door to get charcoal lighter to no avail. |
| the temptation of unnecessary thinking! Unnecessary | | | | Joe was determined to inaugurate his grill the proper |
| thinking can ruin a perfectly good plan, but no thinking | | | | way; with a large fire! He also assured everyone that |
| at all can be hazardous to your health! A good case in | | | | he knew what he was doing! |
| point is a situation I witnessed last year. | | | | Joy was enjoying himself, being the star of the show |
| One brilliantly blue afternoon in late spring my | | | | as it were. He upended the can of fuel over the |
| neighbor Joe was preparing for one of his famous | | | | charcoal and kept pouring even after the briquettes |
| cookouts. He was about to put his brand new brick | | | | had been thoroughly soaked. Now came the moment |
| and mortar barbeque grill through its paces for the | | | | of truth! He lit a match and with a dramatic flare, |
| first time. A beautiful charcoal grill, he had personally, | | | | tossed it onto the charcoal! Whoooomp! |
| to the chagrin of the brick masons, supervised every | | | | Mortar is very porous and does not always adhere |
| detail of the project. It was a gorgeous fireplace | | | | perfectly to a surface without leaving a small crack in |
| style grill with the chimney almost head high built of | | | | the mortar joint between bricks. When a liquid such |
| the same brick that adorned his house. | | | | as water, or in this case gasoline fills that crack, it will |
| The barbeque pit featured a curved flat black steel | | | | flow into the base of the structure, such as a |
| hood for enclosed cooking; with a warming tray built | | | | barbeque grill. The vapors from the gasoline that had |
| into the side of the pit to keep foods from getting | | | | flowed into the grill did what gasoline vapors do when |
| cold while others cooked longer. There was even a | | | | they come in contact with a flame. The grill exploded! |
| compartment built on the opposite side to house | | | | Bricks and mortar blown into pieces, rained from the |
| charcoal and lighter. He was understandably proud of | | | | sky onto all of us who had witnessed the explosion! |
| the best barbeque grill in the neighborhood! | | | | No one was hurt because most of the crowd and |
| Festivities began early with the neighbors arriving | | | | moved safely away from Joe when they saw what |
| around 2:00 pm. By late afternoon many in the crowd | | | | he was about to do. Joe was slightly injured by a |
| were already feeling the effects of the adult | | | | fragment of the grill grazing his forehead. Nothing |
| beverages supplied by the host, who was especially | | | | serious! |
| enjoying himself. Everyone by now had grown tired | | | | His grill was a mess! A few seconds before, it was a |
| of listening to an endless monolog by the host about | | | | beautiful example of workmanship; something to be |
| the virtues of his new grill. | | | | proud of and enjoy for years to come. Now it was |
| The time had come to fire up the grill! There was | | | | just a mile of rocks! Joe had apparently never heard |
| only one small problem. With all the preparations he | | | | that in some cases, alcohol and gasoline don't mix! |
| had made for the cookout, Joe had forgotten | | | | Warning! Drinking and starting fires with gasoline can |
| charcoal lighter! Not to be detoured by such a small | | | | kill you! Whether you're drinking adult beverages or |
| detail, he went into the tool shed at the back of his | | | | not, do not use gasoline for a charcoal starter! |
| yard and brought back a large can of gasoline. After | | | | My neighbor Joe has recovered from the disaster of |
| dumping a huge amount of charcoal into the bottom | | | | last year. He is now making plans to build and even |
| of the grill, he arranged it into a perfect pyramid. The | | | | bigger charcoal cooker than the last one. From the |
| fire was supposed to burn more consistently this | | | | size of the storage area in the barbeque pit, I doubt |
| way Joe informed the crowd. | | | | that he will ever run out of charcoal lighter again! |
| By now the neighbors had begun realized what Joe | | | | Remember, friends don't let friends' barbeque drunk! |