July 4, when JuJu was a kid

HOME MADE ICE CREAM
BARBE QUE CHICKEN
TATERS BAKED IN THE COALS
FIRE WORKS
COUSINS
SPRING LAKE
I was visiting with my brother yesterday about the wonderful blessing we grew up with, this being our father's talent for cooking. The fourth of July celebrations we experienced were all filled with lots of great food.
We both know the Walker secret BBQ recipe. I have never had better. I am going to make some this fall this is a promise. His ice cream was wonderful also Until my freezer croaked I made ice cream in the summers. Never had a bite left.
My cousins would usually show up on the fourth. I remember going to Spring Lake in Yell county early in the morning. The lake was spring fed and was cold except on the fourth when it would warm up due to the big crowd.
By the time we returned home the water melon we had filled up on at the lake was gone.We were starving and the wait for the chicken and ice cream was nothing but pain.
I never remember my dad in a hurry with the exception of driving fast, I never remember my mother doing a single thing at a slow pace. Since daddy was cooking the food it would not be ready soon. But man was it worth the wait. He had someone custom make his BBQ smoker grill out of a old cast iron wash pot. It had legs and was used to  heat water by building a fire under it. Dad had a frame to hold it with wheels. Looked  sort of like a cart. He filled it with charcoal , a grill was placed on top and there was a big heavy lid, too heavy for me to open when I was 10. The men would be cranking the ice cream freezer. I never really understood why once the handle was stuck and the cream was frozen  why we were not allowed to open it and dig in. This frozen ice cream was salted down again and a heavy quilt was wrapped around it for at least another hour. It was a great moment when the time was right and the first mouth full of ice cream was tasted.
It was just wonderful and I always ate it too fast and wound up with brain freeze!!
Soon after dinner the fire works came out along with the lightening bugs! We had so much fun chasing each other with fire crackers, The cousins usually stayed the night with us. We were always going to stay up  all night , however I never remember that happening. I do remember falling asleep listening to the whippoorwills calling out from the woods.
Those were the best of times and the years have flown by way too fast. I am thankful for the blessings of growing up in the south with good food and fun cousins.