Fire is the pits

Last weekend we decided to build a fire pit in the back yard. The primary motivation was to make s’mores and its amazing how motivated the boys can be when sugary confections are at stake. We worked well into the dark of night with only a small LED keychain light to guide us. For some reason, none of our regular flashlights work. Its almost as if some small children had played with them and run down all the batteries. Hm.

We couldn’t complete it all Saturday night, so we began again bright and early Sunday morning. Dew soaked our shoes, but we completed the pit and it was already for a test drive. That plan was for s’mores Sunday evening, but that night our friend Jingxia taught us how to make authentic Chinese dumplings. Actually, she taught Lisa. My job was to engage the cadre of pint-size Faculty rugrats in my official role as “Tall Uncle.” It took a while and I was exhausted by the time the dumplings were done, but they were worth the wait. The only downside was that we didn’t get home until late. S’mores would have to wait until Labor Day evening.

At last, the moment had come. Using sticks and old Mountain Dew cases as kindling, the fire roared to life. Okay, it meowed to life. Below we are preparing for the great s’more gathering. Note the looks of unbridled anticipation. We had made manly fire. Now, it as time to melt some glucose-y goodness.