July 4th with Hill Country @ The Water Taxi Beach Part 1

The Fourth was a grey, almost dismal day. It was overcast and humid enough to make everything clingy and uncomfortable. We trudged out to SI to grab Large Marge and discovered the lock to the pit had jammed and Matt and I, although mostly Matt, had to saw the chain off. We got to the site and it seemed clear that it would rain. To some the rain was misery, but I was undeterred by the inclement weather. I also had little true responsibility. I was assisting Matt. I would help load Marge with brisket and then just wonder around with my camera phone and talk to people. The day dragged on uneventful, other vendors arrived offering sausage and ice cream. Then D.J's and Bands performed while we cooked and waited for the fireworks. However that was still to come when these pictures were taken. The band pictured is called Tygerbeat. I found them endearing. Others disagreed. During this time Matt continued to preheat the pit and start preparing food for the Hill Country crew. Over the course of the day he made kielbasa, chicken, ribs and shrimp. The pictures in this post are of our arrival and the beginning of the set up. They were taken starting around 10:30 or 11 AM. While we helped set up our gear, clean and prep Marge, start the fire and all the other tasks needed to start cooking.