Barbecue on a Sunday...

On Wednesday, it was my suggestion that the guys in the model helicopter group have a barbecue this holiday weekend. The new canopy was installed two weeks ago and the last barbecue was many months ago. We always talk about having them in the fall or spring when the weather isn't too hot or cold.
It was 'touch & go' as Thursday and Friday rained most of the day. We had a cold front push through on Saturday and the morning temperature was 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Some people were working on Monday so it was decided to do the event on Sunday.
We are all on a group text so it was decided who would get what so we didn't have too much of the same.
I brought the watermelon, baked beans, sauteed onions. To offer something different than hotdogs and hamburgers, I made some scrambled eggs, cooked mushrooms and Italian sausage on the side. Those items got eaten while people were waiting for the grill to be setup.
We were to start around noon and I headed there around 11am. The temperature in my car was 102F and I'm guessing it was 95F under the canopy... totally different weather from a day earlier.
There was a mild breeze that blew the smoke from the grill across the 3 picnic tables, but it didn't stop the flies and gnats who outnumbered us 10 to 1. We had to keep lids on the foods and fan the items that remained open.
A quick count had 18 of us and some from the nearby airplane club stopped by to say hello.
Overall it was a few hours of fun. I didn't get to fly much as I participated on the food preparation and devoting time to the actual eating!

Cleanup was easy as I'm the one who brought the large garbage bags and the county hires a truck to do weekend pickups.
Seasonally it's brutal to have Barbecues in the middle of summer. If we do another one then, I'll ask someone to bring a generator and I'll bring some fans. We can run tarps to block the side with the most sunlight, making it cooler to enjoy the weather.
As far as the flies and gnats... it would be a huge undertaking to screen off the surrounding canopies. Maybe in a future lifetime.