This little piggy got roasted

Last weekend felt like the first true "summer weekend" to me. We've had other weekends with nice weather, but this is the first time this year that we've spent doing our standard summer activities -- playing with Cowboy, going to a BBQ and kayaking on Lake Union.

Our neighbor Romero had a BBQ on Saturday to celebrate his birthday. He roasted a pig, brought in a keg, and cooked up some amazing side dishes (I could have snacked on the garlic mashed potatoes and cornbread all weekend). The weather was beautiful and it was nice to spend a relaxing afternoon/evening with neighbors and new friends.

Romero lives two houses down from Tilly's, so we stuck Cowboy in Tilly's yard so that they could play while we were socializing (Tyrone and Drea were at the BBQ as well). At one point someone said, "Do you feel like we're being watched?" and pointed to the fence. Tilly was looking over the top and Cowboy had his nose wedged between two of the slats. Apparently, the BBQ was more interesting than play time.

I have to admit that I wasn't a big fan of the roasted pig (but I've been having trouble with most red meat lately). It looked to me like something out of a horror flick, and the taste was way too "roasted flesh" for me. I've had roasted pig on a spit before, and for some reason that doesn't bother me as much as this "flattened pig in a box". Maybe it was because the pig was the exact size as Cowboy and looked a bit like Cowboy when he sprawls out on the living room floor.

Regardless, everyone else (including Chris) loved the roasted pork, and I got to learn about each cut from Romero and his butcher friend.

On Sunday, Chris and I enjoyed a day of kayaking on Lake Union. We took out a double rather than our singles so that I could be lazy. Unfortunately, Chris did not agree to that part of the plan, so I ended up paddling as much as usual. We almost had a spider crisis in the middle of the lake (I checked my area for spiders, but Chris didn't check his and ended up having a little skirmish to eject a spider out of his lap), but we didn't capsize and I felt much better after we beached at Gas Works and thoroughly checked both cockpits for creepy crawlers.

Now I'm back to work while Chris takes a few days to take care of house business. We have to replace our back door after someone or something kicked in the bottom, and the Orkin man is coming by to get rid of the spiders that I'm paranoid about (especially after a coworker was bitten by a hobo spider in his house).

Can you tell that I'm not a big fan of spiders? I once jumped off the front (yes, the front) of a moving speedboat to avoid one, and another time I leapt out of a moving car -- which I was driving. That sure got Chris' attention (he was in the passenger seat). And yes, I live in the most spider-infested part of the country.

However, in spite of my distaste for spiders, I do not mind them if they are outside (where they are supposed to be) and have plenty of room to stay out of my way. And I'm even willing to hold a tarantula -- although I am incapable of keeping my cool while doing it...



Link: View Romero's BBQ pictures

Link: View first summer pictures