The 12th Annual Memorial Scholarship Fundraiser for my Wife's Nephew is now history and it was another grand success. But it entails traveling across country, so I left my JoeUser behind. Which upon my return I find that so did everyone else for most of while I was gone as Stardock just had a smash hit on its hands with its latest game! (Congratulations Stardock!). So I guess I did not miss much goings on. In years past, there was always the inevitable "I am leaving" huff from one or 2 during my hiatus, but I guess the Game cheated that melodrama.
As for the fundraiser. each year, since my nephew's death in a senseless automobile accident, his parents have staged a fund raiser to raise money for kids in their neck of the woods to go to college on. Each year it has gotten bigger and the entire family pitches in to help out. The actual event is a day of music and food in the park, and when possible, softball tournaments. This year we had the men's tournament the Saturday before, and the women's tournament the day of the event.
My wife and I, being the east coast part of the family, fly out to California the week before so we can help with the preparation and also sell tickets for the raffle and the events. Since we fly, we usually dont buy raffle tickets (why pick up more luggage), but this year the local Home Depot donated a set of Ryobi Cordless power tools for the raffle, so I had to buy some tickets! (I did not win it).
The event is held in Imperial Valley California. For those not familiar with the state, that is the part of California that borders Mexico, but not the coast. So during winter, it can get down to a bone chilling mid 60s! (well to my in-laws, it is cold). For the event, it was in the mid-80s! Coming from the east coast where it snowed twice in our absence, that was a welcome vacation! I only brought one pair of long pants, and they were ditched after we got to the valley. I know it is rough for those of us from the snow climes, but someone has to do it!
My BIL makes BBQ from a couple of cows donated by local ranches. Did I mention that it is in the middle of Cow Country? One sniff and there is no mistake you are not in the big city any longer! But that is a small price to pay for an area that has not seen snow since the Mastodon! It is also considered desert since it gets less than 3 inches of rain each year (they use irrigation for the crops and cows).
The process of making the BBQ takes up a full day as well. The beef is cut up and placed in kegs (with the tops cut off), the sauce is mixed in, and then placed into a pit to cook for up to 12 hours. Slow cooked! Tender! Tasty! Good! I dont do the cutting as the only way I know how to cut meat is with a steak knife, not a band saw! But there are enough others who know how to cut up the cows and get the best meat (and all the meat actually), so I just do the gofer stuff. I stay out of their way and just make sure the rest of the supplies and ingredients are ready and waiting.
The fund raiser itself is a testament to my BIL and SIL. That they took the tragedy of their son, and made something very positive out of it. But they are not super beings. They are average Americans. For I am sure this happens daily throughout America. Where normal people do extraordinary things.
And that is why America is great. And always will be.
And me? I got to spend a week in the middle of February in 70-80 degree temps working for something good and soaking up sun! Yes, I got a nice tan!