Cold Day, Warm Hearts, Hot Food

Oysters that were steamed to perfection were the star of the show at our family gathering. Linda's brother-in-law Tommie made sure everything was "just right" for a perfect evening.

A barn in the half cylindrical shape with a cement floor has been on this site for over 50 years and still serving a valuable purpose for family gatherings.

Larger than it looks from outside it had all the elements needed for a great time.  A very large picnic table, wood burning stove, refrigerator and plenty of room for shucking oysters after taking them out of the steamer.

Side view showing the grill where 2 chickens were cooked vertically with a can of beer that steamed the interior of the birds making them so good. Later the grill was used to cook link sausage that was the hit of the party for me. You have to be a local to understand. S.B. Smith's Red & White Supermarket has been making link sausage for so long and if people move away and come back to visit they always stop at Smiths to get a 5 or 10 lb box to carry home and savor. We like a healthy piece placed in a hot dog bun and topped with yellow mustard. I knew I had overindulged when I finished the second one.

Closer look at the "beer butt" chickens cooking.

Good stuff, from left to right, lots of chips, my crock pot full of my special chili, then Linda's hot dog chili and another crock pot of black eye peas.

The large wood burning heater with the largest cast iron frying pan I have ever seen full of hot dog weiners getting hot for the crowd.

Better picture of the stove and hot dogs, the dish on the left was a special recipe sauce made of ketchup, hot sauce & butter. The big pot just had water to humidify the air.

The only thing the barn was lacking was a rest room so for that we had to walk up the hill to quaint little house that is so adorable.

All these pictures were taken just turning around in one spot in the center of the room, small but lovely and I could so live in this space and be content.