Summer in the USA

Thanks to D's family, we have joined the ranks of most suburban Americans and are now the happy owners of a grill! In this rare look at our back patio (our backyard is a mess, so I try not to photograph it too often), D and his brother are prepping it for its first BBQ.

 I was not familiar with this contraption they used, a chimney to concentrate the heat of the charcoals to get them lit and ready to grill more quickly. What they didn't know is that apparently using the chimney is not compatible with closing the lid, since the heat is so much more intense. So after its first hour in use, our grill ended up looking like this:

Not a pretty picture. D pointed out that now we will feel less bad keeping it out in the rain, having already destroyed its pretty looks. It's still perfectly functional and last night we enjoyed a lovely traditional Fourth of July cook-out:

And now we know what not to do if we ever upgrade to a nicer grill. I don't think we will switch to gas though--I love the smoky smell of something grilled on charcoal.

Another creature in our yard was enjoying a feast yesterday evening too. Our new butterfly bush, courtesy of my parents, has already flowered and at least one butterfly has discovered it. I hope it spreads the word: