Since we live in a small town, our gatherings tend to be pretty informal and I never quite know what to expect. On July 4, we all hung out up on Main Street at a building we have and watched the town go by all day long and into the night.
On Labor Day this year, we went out to our little pond north of town. We have a small camper we take out that we can plug in to use the frig and have water. And this year, thank the Lord, we have water in the pond.
Here's a glimpse into our country cookout.
We were able to make a little fire and use it to cook our wild hog link sausages and hog/deer burgers (I didn't get pictures but they tasted great!).
Brady was able to go on his very first john boat ride.
All was fun and games for about the first 20 minutes until he realized his step-grandpa was planning on hand trimming all of the little trees that had grown out in the pond when it was dry during the drought.
About this time I hear him shout from across the pond, "Mom, I'm trapped and he won't bring me back!"
This very loud complaining went on another 20 minutes before they finally came back to shore. Then he promptly flopped down for some homemade lemonade. Whew!
Here's some country cooking I did for the shin-dig, which all tasted pretty good I think. The okra and cukes were from the garden.
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| Garlic Parmesan pull-apart. |
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| Stewed okra and tomatoes. |
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| Marinated cucumbers. |
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| Homemade potato salad. |
Mostly, we had a fun and different kind of day. Gosh, wonder what Thanksgiving will bring? How do you like to spend holidays? What special things do you and your family do?
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Aw! I miss cook outs and just hanging out in nature, not caring about the rest of the world!! :)
ReplyDeleteIt's like time stands still!
DeleteI love these kinds of days! Even if it's close to home, you can have such refreshment just getting away from the crush of the usual stuff.
ReplyDeleteTotally relaxing and you can forget all of the worries, the cleaning, laundry, TV, etc.... all the distractions melt away just for a little while :)
DeleteFirst off, let me say that I love your new header!:)
ReplyDeleteYour Labor Day weekend sounds amazing, even with the over-long boat captivity. LOL Your food looks amazing and sounds yummy too. My mother used to make marinated cucumbers all the time, I haven;t had them lately... Thanks for the memories and the idea.
~Lorelai
Life With Lorelai
Thanks Lorelai! Took me awhile to get it *just* right, but I like it too :) The boat thing was hilarious. We're going camping this weekend out there and Brady told me, "I am NOT going on the boat." Maybe he'll try again sometime. Tell me how the cukes turn out!
DeleteIt looks like so much fun, and that food looks delicious. I love this series. The town I grew up in has brick streets. I've lived in small towns most of my life. I didn't like it when I was a kid, but I wouldn't trade small town life for anything now!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Colleen, it was fun! Brick streets are so quaint, I love them. I didn't like a small town back in the day, but so far Brady loves it. Guess I'll see how it is when he's a teen. What size is your town?
DeleteWhen we lived closer to family, we spent every holiday gathering at my parents' house with my brother and his family, then to my husband's parents' home on some holidays as well. Living further away now, we've learned to take it easy on some holidays while we travel for the major ones.
ReplyDeleteAw, I'll bet you miss them! I was away from family for 15 years and it made me sad :( Now I have almost everybody nearby and hubby's family as well.
DeleteThe picture of him hollering because he is trapped is classic! :)
ReplyDeleteLOL, I know, he's so expressive!
DeleteThat looks like so much fun--and the bread looks delicious! You must have prepared a lot for the trip with all the food you brought for the couple of days. We do a lot with family--but we don't rough it!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know if I'd like roughing it, but I totally do. It brings us all closer and makes me realize just how much I really DON'T need that I think I do :) I can live with so many fewer luxuries. Though, admittedly, I like them when I come back to town, ha!
DeleteHow fun! I love small towns. My husband's family is originally from a small town, and we go there every summer. Great pics!
ReplyDeleteOh, how fun! How big a town?
DeleteEnjoying your pictures make me miss our holidays. We love spending long holidays in Saranan Lake which is around 7 hours driving from our town. We jog in the morning, having breakfast some vegetable salad, having lunch some rabbit satay, having supper some meatball soup, having dinner some grilled fish.
ReplyDeleteI love going to the lake where you can really boat and play on the beach. Jogging in the morning sounds awesome! We'll hopefully see some deer when we're out there this weekend. Hope you get to go on a holiday soon :)
DeleteAs long as I am with family. I'm good as gold. I love doing whatever with family! Family is the core of every holiday. You could take away ALL the presents no problem. But family is the first priority.
ReplyDeleteYes, family makes all the difference in the world. I was away from family for years and years and I'm so happy to have so much now.
DeleteI grew up in a small town and I miss it! We often talk about going back. Looks like you had fun in the boat!
ReplyDeleteWhere was the small town at? How small? they sure are unique.
DeleteThat looks like it was a great day filled with loving memories :-) May you have many more together in the future!
ReplyDeleteIt was, Crystal :) My kiddo sure won't forget being trapped in the boat!
DeleteI love outings like that and I miss them terribly. I loved going to the lake when I was younger and camping on the bank.
ReplyDeleteI hope you can make some new memories and go on some new outings. :)
DeleteIt really was very good! I had never made it before.
ReplyDelete