JeffieBoy Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 It’s my cake Day! As Jerry Garcia once sang: “What a long, strange trip it’s been…” For me however, it’s been 10 years of getting up at the crack of stupid, then sitting on the patio swing or laying on the futon with my fearless dog (Sophie, long since passed), enjoying the early morning sounds of a distant train or the church clock peeling away the hour. And maybe chatting with the neighbourhood cats, skunks, o’possums or raccoons. Sometimes greeting a daughter as she would come home from a night out, sharing the swing for a few minutes and solving over the troubles of the day before she heads off to bed. Hearing the thump of the morning paper land on the driveway and the delivery guy motoring away. It’s been 10 years of looking up at that night sky and wondering: “where’s that plane headed at this time of the night, there’s Orion or I wonder when the ISS will be passing over?” Yes there are apps for that and I use them all as I sit in the quiet darkness and dream of past and future adventures to foreign lands whilst I enjoy the aroma of hardwood smoke. 10 years of neighbours sticking their head around the corner of my garage to see what I am cooking today and perhaps sneak a taste. It’s been 10 years of looking for deals at the market, buying quality charcoal, finding local oak, maple and fruitwoods for smoking materials. It’s also been maintaining the freezer inventory, the careful prepping of meats to be placed onto the Akorn, of being thankful for the animals that have given their lives for our sustenance and pleasure. It’s seeing the look in my wife’s eye as I tell her I will be getting up at 03:00 and that I need to be in bed by 22:00 tonight… she knows. It’s been 10 years of inviting friends and family to join us at the table for simple yet good food, drink, stories and laughter. 10 years of occasionally delivering a big platter of Pulled Pork, buns, toppings and sauces to friends who are mourning whilst knowing that food can say more than words in those times. 10 years of compliments on my skills (even when I don’t feel that I have been successful). As the TV Chef always says: “Tutti a tavola a mangera”, everyone come to my table and eat! On May 24th it will be 10 years of my being a member of the Kamado Guru site. It’s been a big part of my life and I thank John for his foresight and work in being “The Guru”. I thank the many of you that have contributed your experiences, commented on my cooks, chatted directly or simply made me laugh over this time. It’s all brought me great joy. I hope for many more happy years with you. I am proud to be associated with The Kamado Guru in my little way. My final comment about all of this is that I often think that a lot of us on this website have taken some of the joy out of our Kamado hobby. As the world goes more high tech on a daily basis, our hobby has also become (unnecessarily) more high tech what with all of the controllers, pellet feed hoppers, vortex thingies and the like. I still use my simple original Akorn Kamado, Smokin’ Stone diverter, tongs and a thermometer - that’s all. Oh, and my patio swing from which to watch the early morning sky. Meat, heat, spice and time. Life can be pretty good. I appreciate you taking a moment to read this. Here are a few images from over the years. Jack., jark87, A.O. and 6 others 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
O C Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 Great post! Regarding the next to last pic, I had no idea how Akorn Jrs were born, thats a substantial umbilical cord JeffieBoy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffieBoy Posted May 24 Author Share Posted May 24 @O C my singular attempt at cold smoking fish! Didnt work for me. Maybe some other time… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boater Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 Glad you made the Reddit reference. As someone who follows a couple subs there, including r/charcoal and r/kamadojoe, there's a HUGE difference in the quality of the discussion and advice provided there versus here. I guess I see Reddit as more entertainment, KamadoGuru as information (with some entertainment). As @JeffieBoy said, I really appreciate this forum, @John Setzler for guiding it, and the wide range of opinions, experiences, and perspectives that folk bring to the table here. A.O. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKOBBQ Posted May 27 Share Posted May 27 Congrats on the milestone and here's to many more. JeffieBoy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BURGER MEISTER Posted May 28 Share Posted May 28 Would be hard pressed to word it any better. Thanks Jeffieboy. Nice pics also. JeffieBoy 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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