I recently told our youngest grand kids, Xander McKnight Gonzales and Lily Danielle Gonzales I was going to do a wiener roast for them.  Lisa their Mom, explained to them what would take place and Lily was all excited about the F I R E pit, of which she emphasized the word fire wanting to get it pronounced correctly.....grin if you must!

Due to the rainy weather earlier, we had to cancel and finally the day of 09-28-2020 looked promising weather wise and they were invited to come around 2:00 P.M. to experience their first ever wiener roast.

HISTORY OF OUR CAMPING AND WIENER ROAST

Over the decades starting in the late 1970s, our family enjoyed many weeks each year camping on Blewett Falls Lake, Pee Dee River, Anson County, NC, of which is documented here at this link.

We have had many Halloween Parties at our home which naturally had to have a good fire going for roasting wieners, however we had plenty of other foods such as home made Chili, Potato Salad, Hamburgers, buckets of KFC chicken, etc. documented at this link, and this link, and this link, and this link, and this link.

As evidenced by the pixs in the above short stories, we had a great time!

BACK TO THE CURRENT WIENER ROAST

To have a wiener roast, you need a fire pit and I improvised one using some cement blocks to contain the fire.

I had earlier split some cedar wood which gives off a most beautiful aroma and sends sparks airborne too.  The fire is very spectacular especially at night, but for safety and other reasons elected to do the wiener roast during day light hours.

The area was racked off several days in advance with the cement blocks in place, wood split and a 5 gallon bucket of water to douse any sparks that escaped the fire pit.

CONDIMENTS

We planned on having just roasted hot dogs and buns with the basic condiments; mustard, mayonnaise, onions, soft drink or two, potato chips, fruit bowls, e.g., watermelon, cantaloupe, pineapple, ingredients for S'moers; Hershey Chocolate Bars, Graham Crackers and large S'moers Marshmallows, etc.

PIX AROUND THE FIRE PIT

I think my bride is trying to hide in this pix and Lisa, Lily and Xander with good grins going.

I have several Sweet gum tree log stumps for seats for Xander and Lily.

Xander doing some kind of tough man antics.

TIME TO ROAST WIENERS

The fire is burning down some and getting about time to roast some wieners.  I had eight (8) left over wiener roasting tools from our camping days and put four (4) of them to good use.  Before we upgraded to the store bought wiener roasting tools, we used sharpened green sticks with the bark removed and clothes hangers, but the store bought ones allow you to do two at a time and will not bend on you like the clothes hangers will.

It takes a little while to get use to having the wieners the correct distance from the fire and Xander had a couple that were cremated for sure.  The Ancient Egyptians could have used him in their embalming process for sure.......grin if you must!

It didn't take Xander and Lily long to figure out to back up some from the heat.

The fire has burned down and this is the time to do some serious roasting wieners without all the flames, but the heat definitely is there.

Above is a good looking roasted wiener aka hot dog and yours truly did enjoy a couple or more of them.  I have been watching my food intake as far as my blood/sugar level is concerned, but not too much this afternoon.  However, I did stay away from the S'moers though.

Xander has gotten the hang of roasting wieners and he didn't go hungry for sure.

S'MOERS ANYONE

I don't think the Gonzales grand kids have ever had S'moers and it was time to do a few of them.  I also did one for my bride, of which she enjoyed it much.  She has done many of them for our kids over the years camping, but said she had never eaten one, so today was a first.

The fire coals were perfect for doing the S'moers; golden brown marshmallows on the outside and melted inside.  I did have one that flamed up, but was quickly blown out......another grin is in order.

That is a serious "chunk" of chocolate in the above S'moers.

I think Miss Lily enjoyed the chocolate most of all.

The fire pit served its purpose and will have to do a wiener roast again for the grand kids.

In summary, this was a wonderful experience for the "rug rats" and they most definitely had a fantastic time.  Lily enjoyed picking up small sticks and putting them in the water bucket.

It is great to be able to enjoy such simple things in Life that God has allowed us and give Him the Praise, Honor and Glory in all things through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.

Web page created by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 09-28-2020.

ANOTHER WIENER ROAST

UPDATE:  We had another wiener roast for the Gonzales "rug rats" on 10-15-2020 and they had a wonderful time.  The weather was perfect!  I didn't take any pixs this time.

I had Xander and Lily picking up White Oak Acorns and putting them in a five gallon bucket and I pronounced acorns as akerns.  Later when the Gonzales were at home, Lily was saying something about akerns and her Mom Lisa corrected her and said they are ACORNS.  Lily told her Mom, "Paw Paw said they were akerns".................grin if you must!

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 10-16-2020.

MARCH 13, 2021 WIENER ROAST

I had been promising the Gonzales "rug rats" during our winter months another wiener roast when the weather warmed up some and March 13, 2021 looked promising, however it was overcast, but the temperature was in the low to mid 60s.

The ground was bone dry and that was a good thing!

Xander and Lily were still long enough for a picture.  Lily would make the Energizer Bunny Rabbit tired and she rarely runs out of energy.......grin if you must!

The fire was definitely not large, but had enough heat to roast the wieners. 

Miss Lily has a good grin going for the camera too!  We had just basic hot dogs with condiments; e.g., mustard, mayonnaise, onions, home made chili, potato chips and the fixings for S'moers. 

I roasted several wieners and definitely enjoyed them and of course watching the Grand Kids have fun playing in the yard.

We later went to the "jungle" as Lily calls the woods and put out shelled corn for the deer and turkeys.

Miss Lily with a smores and she definitely loves anything chocolate.

Miss Lily is definitely enjoying that S'moers for sure.

The fire finally burned down and now would be a good time to roast more wieners, but everyone has their fill of hot dogs, etc.

We all had a great time and the Gonzales Grand Kids will be asking for another wiener roast very soon.

Lisa took a tumble from a metal swing from a broken chain and will replace the chain set ASAP and luckily she didn't get hurt.  I forget to tell her I was bringing a metal folding chair for her, but it was too late.  Murphy's Law never sleeps!

I drove my bride to our wiener roast site and she got into her wheel chair and enjoyed the wiener roast enjoying the activity and being out of the house soaking up some fresh air.

Children and Grand Children are a blessing from God and I give Him all the Praise, Honor and Glory in all things through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior!

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 03-14-2021.

EASTER SUNDAY "WEENIE" ROAST

The weather today was outstanding for another "weenie" roast for the Gonzales Grand Kids and we had a great time.  Miss Lily can hardly wait until the weather is warm enough to break out the sprinkler and she can play Fireman in the water...............grin if you must!

Miss Lily and Xander chilling out before the dogs and smores.

GRILLED VENISON BACK STRAPS

Xander and myself grilled some venison back straps on the renovated Jenn-Air Grill.

Xander and myself consumed those delicious venison back straps about as fast as they got done.

Lisa with a dog and chips and a grin going as well.

After the "weenie" roast, Miss Lily was playing in the dirt and captured this pix of her throwing dirt into the air.  Luckily, not of the air borne dirt/dust didn't make it into her eyes, but her clothing took the brunt of it for sure................grin if you must!.

HONEYCUTT GRANDBOYS VISIT

Travis and Trevor Huneycutt came by for a visit, but already had lunch.  We definitely enjoyed them.  I have hyperlinked their first names to pages where I have pixs posted of them, whereas my bride kept them as babies until they entered into the public school system and picked them up after their schooling for years.  They are truly like our own boys!

We all definitely enjoyed this beautiful Easter Sunday "weenie" roast and prior to the winy roast, The Wadesboro Church of God had a wonderful Sunday morning Easter service followed by Communion.  Please read my comments under the Leaving on a Spiritual Note section below.  Jesus Christ has risen and He is coming back again.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 04-04-2021.

XANDER AND LILY'S WIENER ROAST 10-02-2021

The weather finally cooled down enough for another Gonzales wiener roast and we had a good time with Lisa, Xander and Lily.

With the help of some old Bob Ross paint brush cleaner, it didn't take long to get the cedar wood going to a full blaze.  I later added some scraps of wood from my woodworking projects and had a good bed of coals going to roast some "weenies" as Lily calls them!

A couple pixs of Xander and Lily.

We all had a good time enjoying roasted wieners and I had Duke's Mayonnaise, Mustard, onions, slaw and home made chili on my 2.5 hot dogs along with potato chips and fresh cut up fruit.

The Gonzales Grand Kids enjoyed being outside and Lily and myself played a game or two of hide and seek.

Due to having a sinus head cold, we had not seen the Gonzales family for about a week and it was time to have them up for another wiener roast.

I like to post at every opportunity, "Two of the greatest ships that ever sailed, Friendship and Fellowship" and we all sailed today on good waters!

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 10-02-2021.

XANDER AND LILY'S WIENER ROAST 03-26-2022

Today is 03-26-2022 and the past few days have prepped the "weenie" roast area raking and hauling leaves, cutting back the yellow bells that can take over an area quickly if left unchecked and cutting down a few small dead cedar trees that make excellent firewood.  The smell of the burning cedar wood along with the cracking and popping of the reddish embers going skyward makes for a fantastic outing.

After "policing" up the above area, I told my bride she would be impressed with the area for sure and that she was!

As stated above, I got an early start after breakfast around 7:46 AM getting the cedar firewood cut with the old Husky chainsaw and carried the small logs on my shoulder across the small branch connected to Culpepper Creek.  After cutting the small logs into lengths for the fire pit, I split the cedar wood with an axe, no log splitting maul this time...........grin if you must!

We planned on having the "weenie" roast around mid-day and my bride was ready and she got into the car at 12:25 PM with the aid of her wheel chair and I had Xander take her wheel chair to the winy roast area, whereas I drove her there.  She then exited the car with my help into the wheel chair.  My bride uses her four (4) wheel rollator walker while in the home.

The Gonzales family arrived sometime after 12 Noon and Lisa provided the hot dogs, buns, potato chips and soft drinks for the kids.  I provided the condiments needed; mayo, mustard, chili, slaw, onions, utensils for holding the hot dogs, etc.  We planned to have s'moers, but Lisa forgot to bring Graham crackers, therefore we left them off.............grin if you must!

I decided to cheat a little on getting the fire started by igniting a charcoal chimney container full of charcoal and after about 30 minutes, I put the charcoal glowing briquettes onto a bed of split oak hardwood and layered the cedar wood on top of that and finished off with a layer of larger oak split firewood.

It didn't take but a few minutes for the charcoal to ignite the wood around 12:56 PM and the wind was blowing which aided in getting a monster flame going.

While waiting for the wood to burn down leaving some very hot embers, we sat around and enjoyed the mid-day/afternoon sun and watching the crackling of the fire.

Xander and Lily had fun running and playing in the yard and Lily can come up with a game quickly.

FIRE PIT READY FOR ROASTING WIENERS

It was close to 1:30 PM before the wood burned down leaving very hot embers and Miss Lily was first to roast a couple weenies.

Miss Lily got the hang of roasting "weenies" quickly and when they were done and cooled down, enjoyed the weenie without the buns!

Xander fixed his Mom Lisa a hot dog and I prepared my bride with one with all the trimmings and enjoyed several myself.

No fancy China today, although it would be a good guess the Styrofoam plates were made in China....grin if you must!

After everyone enjoyed their hot dog(s), I let the embers burn down and Lily enjoyed putting the paper items into the fire.

It was great to see the Gonzales Grand Kids enjoying the winy roast and they had been talking about it off and on since the last one we had back October 2021.  You can see how much Miss Lily has grown since last year and she is now five (5) years old and according to her, "A whole hand full!"

After the coals burned down, I placed a piece of roofing tin over the fire pit and secured the tin down with bricks.

I like to post at every opportunity, "Two of the greatest ships that ever sailed, Friendship and Fellowship" and we all sailed today on good waters!

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 03-26-2022.

WIENER ROAST JUNE 11, 2022

The weather has been beautiful the past month and my bride and myself wanted to do another ""winy" roast for the two Gonzales Grand Kids and also Travis and Trevor Huneycutt who both had recent birthdays.

For this wiener roast, I decided to put up a North Pole, First-Up 10 x 10 Ft. Gazebo and this was definitely a challenge for one person to put up in my humble opinion.  I could not locate the instructions and had to wing it so to speak.  To make a long story short, I had to use four (4) welders clamps to lift the telescopic legs and would raise one leg, apply the welders clamp and do the same for the other three (3) legs until the unit telescoped high enough for the two members to engage a locking spring type button between the two telescopic members.

I used only three of the corner cords which keeps the canopy from blowing off in heavy winds and flagged them with a florescent orange ribbon.

A closer view of the Gazebo.

Before getting the gazebo set up, I took a pix of a nearby Morning Glory flower in bloom.

After getting the gazebo set up, I started the fire for the "winy" roast as Miss Lily calls the event.  I used paper and split cedar wood to get the fire going and then added a piece or two of oak.

It didn't take too long to get a good bed of coals going, however I gave Lisa our Daughter the wrong time, being 30 minutes later than what I had planned for and had to add additional cedar to the fire.

The smell of burning cedar wood along with the snap and crackle of the wood is one of those outdoor things that is hard to forget.  Many years ago while camping on Blewett Falls Lake, Pee Dee River on the Anson County side of the river, we enjoyed such camp fires and they were beautiful especially at night.

Another pix of the "winy" roast area.

A couple pixs above of Miss Lily and her Mom Lisa Gonzales.

Trevor Huneycutt enjoying a roasted hot dog with some chips.

Travis Huneycutt with some type of "Vegan" hot dog which didn't do well on the fire due to their softness.  He improvised some way and I think, he brought some from his home that was already pre-cooked.

Xander didn't want his picture taken, but I "snuck" this one in shooting from about waist height and not using the view finder.

As stated, I had to add more wood to the live coals to finish roasting some wieners.

Miss Lily enjoying a smoers and the smiles says it all!

After the "winy" roast, Miss Lily got her bathing suit on and enjoyed the sprinkler.

In closing, we all had a great time.  My bride forgot to give the Huneycutt aka "tall boys" as Miss Lily calls them their birthday money and called them later advising that she had forgotten to give it to them.

As I state so many times on this website, "Two of the Greatest Ships that ever Sailed, Friendship and Fellowship" and we certainly sailed together.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 06-12-2022.

MISS LILY SHORT VIDEO CLIP

I have been messing around with my Canon 60D 35MM DSLR camera in the video mode and was surprised at how much memory a HD video clip uses.  To make a long story short, I pooled some pro bono tech support from our son William M. Porter, Jr.. who gave me instructions on how to reduce the file size using DaVinci software.  I reduced the video file which was saved in .mov format which was 150 megabytes for 21 seconds to an .mp4 file which was around 10 megabytes and I could not visually tell the difference between the two file sizes, whereas the .mp4 file was compressed a great amount.

The video clip is hyperlinked here.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 06-14-2022.

MISS LILY DANCING ON STAGE

When Lily and myself go walking in the jungle as she calls the woods, we go by my hunting blind platform, of which Lily calls it a stage and wants to dance, so here goes an experimental video clip using my Canon 60D 35MM DSLR camera hyperlinked here.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 06-15-2022.

ANOTHER WIENER ROAST

We had another "winy" roast on September 17, 2022 around mid-day, however I did not take any pixs this time.  Attending were Lisa, Xander and Lily Gonzales, my bride aka Joyce and myself.

We did the "winy" roast and Miss Lily enjoyed another smoers.

We had a wonderful time with the weather conditions not too hot, but just right!  My bride enjoyed getting out into the fresh air and watching the Gonzales Grand Kids enjoy themselves.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 09-17-2022.

WIENER ROAST 04-21-2023

The weather forecast for Friday, April 21, 2023 was excellent, therefore I got the area leaves raked up and weeds and plants cut back that had grown since last year.

I took very few pixs and everyone had an outstanding time.  Xander invited his friend Hunter Taylor and he joined right in.

The fire pit with coals and embers hot enough to roast some wieners and marshmallows for smores.

Miss Lily enjoying a smoers!

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 04-22-2023.

WIENER ROAST 07-29-2023

I told the Gonzales "rug rats" we would have a "winy" roast on Saturday the 29th of July around 10 AM, if the weather permits.  My bride aka Maw Maw to them was scheduled to be release from the Anson Health and Rehabilitation facility on July 28th and would join us, however the weather was entirely too hot and humid even at 10ish in the morning.

I took very few pixs, but will post some of what I saved:

Xander with a good grin going.

Miss Lily with a mouth full of hot dog, my bad.

Trevor Lane Huneycutt.

Travis Lee Huneycutt.

A couple dogs about to be consumed by yours truly with some potato chips, etc. 

YARD SPRINKLER TIME

As soon as Miss Lily and Xander finished their hot dog(s) and Miss Lily her smoers,  it didn't take them too long before they were back inside where it was cool. 

However, when I brought out one of the yard sprinklers, they headed for the yard.

I told my bride, we will have another "winy" roast when the weather cools down considerably.  Everyone had a good time, even with the very hot and humid weather conditions.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 08-01-2023.

WIENER ROAST 09-16-2023

The weather cooled down a good amount with the weather prognosticators forecasting plenty of sunshine and an ideal time for another "winy" roast for the Gonzales rug rats.

GETTING THE FIRE PIT READY

With my last woodworking project being ceramic and wood pot holders aka trivets, I have plenty of scrap Eastern Cedar wood which is great for starting a fire.  The smell of the burning cedar wood and the embers popping and heading skyward is one of the small things in life to really enjoy along with all that God has created!

The fire starting technique here is to use wadded up newspaper for the base material and then add the cedar kindling in a tepee aka tipi fashion.  I use my propane torch to quickly ignite the newspaper underneath the cedar wood which catches fire rather fast.

Once the cedar wood kindling gets burning well, heavier pieces of cedar and split oak and hickory wood are added to the fire to create some long burning embers for roasting the wieners and of course smoers for those that want one.

It didn't take too long to get a good fire going and ready to roast some wieners.

CONDIMENTS

With our "winy" roast, I try and keep it simple with the necessary condiments as:  wieners, hot dog buns, mayonnaise, ketchup, slaw, mustard, onions, chili, potato chips and soft drinks.  For the smoers, Graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate bars.  In addition to the smoers, there were an assortment of Little Debbie cakes.

I later, removed the condiments from the cooler and placed them on the table.  Xander getting Miss Lily's hot dogs ready.

ADDITIONAL PIXS TAKEN

Xander roasted Miss Lily a couple hot dogs and I believe she consumed at least one and a part of the other.

I had to coach a grin out of Miss Lily for the camera.  Her Momma told her "No" for something amiss!

Xander and myself roasted wieners for Lisa and "Maw Maw" aka my bride.

As evidenced by the pix, I went to work quickly on this roasted wiener hot dog which was outstanding.

THE GONZALES'

With each "winy" roast, you can see how much the Gonzales rug rats, aka Miss Lily and Xander are growing.

In closing, we had a wonderful time.  I transported my bride down to the wiener roast site in our car and then she got out into the wheelchair and really had a fantastic time enjoying the winy roast and the beautiful weather with a good breeze blowing most of the time.

It is great to enjoy the simpler things of life that God has provided and allowed us and give Him, the Praise, Honor and Glory in all things.

As I state so many times on this website, "Two of the Greatest Ships that ever Sailed, Friendship and Fellowship" and we certainly sailed together.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 09-17-2023

WIENER ROAST 03-31-2024

I advised the Gonzales family and our Huneycutt grand boys, we would have a wiener roast on Easter Sunday afternoon if the weather permitted, of which the weather was outstanding and the afternoon temperature got up to 82 degrees!

I took a few pixs to document the event and will post them.

The fire was just large enough to roast "winys" as Miss Lily calls the wieners, grin if you must!

I caught Xander off guard with this pix roasting a couple wieners.

Trevor and Travis Huneycutt getting some bonding time in. Trevor had already eaten lunch and Travis is going to load his container up with a special Vegan Mushroom stew I prepared for him.

Miss Lily and Lisa enjoying a roasted hot dog.

Another pix of Xander near the "grub" table.

I started the fire using a chimney full of ignited charcoal and used mostly scrap wood from my woodworking projects and some cedar that was stored adjacent the swing set.

A close-up pix of Trevor Lane Huneycutt.

Another pix of Travis Lee Huneycutt, keeping it safe!

Attending this wiener roast was Joyce aka my bride, Bill aka Mickey Porter, Lisa, Xander and Lily Gonzales and Travis and Trevor Huneycutt.

We certainly did have a wonderful time of Easter Sunday 2024 and thankful for each and every day that Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior allows.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 04-01-2024.

WIENER ROAST 06-01-2024

We had another wiener roast on 06-01-2024 and attending were:  Joyce aka my bride, Bill aka Mickey Porter, Lisa, Xander and Lily Gonzales, Travis and Trevor Huneycutt and Laura Huneycutt.

I took very few pixs, but will post what I have.

It didn't take too long to get a good fire started with the aid of some newspaper and/or sales paper.  I had a good amount of scrap cedar from my woodworking shop and cedar is dry and ignites very easily and quickly.

Looks like everyone has a roasted hot dog and chips.

Pix of the table with some condiments.

Laura and Trevor Huneycutt.

Miss Lily and Xander Gonzales.  Lily was a little camera shy.

My bride aka Joyce enjoying a hot dog.  The Gonzales' call her Maw Maw.

Everyone had a good time and when fall of the year rolls around and of course our Lord willing, will have another wiener aka "winy" roast when the weather cools down a good bit.

Web page published by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 07-13-2024.

WIENER ROAST 10-12-2024

With the weather cooling down, it is time for another wiener aka "winy" roast as Miss Lily calls them.  I did some prep work raking leaves and cutting some limbs, etc. today (10-11-2024) to get ready for tomorrow.

All of our East Coast grand kids attended, however two are adults, Travis and Trevor Huneycutt.  Their mom Laura was not able to attend due to having to work.

I took only a few pixs, but will post what I did take.

We had wieners aka "winys" roasted, hamburgers charcoal grilled with all the condiments needed.  Also, Lily and Maw Maw enjoy a smores. 

Trevor enjoying a charcoal cheese burger and Travis has already had his Vegan Mushroom Stew I prepared for him

I believe this is Travis Lee's favorite Vegan dish.

Lily and Lisa trying to ascertain where the noise of Shane's truck was coming from.

My bride aka Maw Maw as our Gonzales grandkids call her.

Shane Hough had to work until 1 PM, but came over after work and enjoyed a couple charcoal cooked burgers.

Nothing but "beautimous" looking and smelling embers from the fire which consisted mostly of Eastern Red Cedar and Hickory wood.

In summary, you could not ask for any more perfect weather and we all had a great time and thanks to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior for allowing us to enjoy a small part of Their creation.

"Two of the Greatest Ships that ever Sailed, Friendship and Fellowship" and we certainly did sail today!

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 10-13-2024.

LEAVING ON A SPIRITUAL NOTE

If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please take this moment to accept him by Faith into your Life, whereby Salvation will be attained.   

Ephesians 2:8 - 2:9 8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

Open this link about faith in the King James Bible.