This morning I received a telephone call from a freight company notifying me that they would be delivering the new Arteflame fire pit this afternoon. Glen and Tony made efficient work unpacking and assembling the fiery finale to Rosslyn’s icehouse rehabilitation.
Bringing to a close yet another accomplishment in a long parade of projects initiated back in the late summer / early autumn of 2022, today’s installation happens amidst a final flurry of activities: power raking and hydro-seeding lawns disturbed during construction, finalizing icehouse hardscape, finishing the carriage house privacy fence, and planting the icehouse flowerbeds.
A hurley-burly to be sure, and at the center of the commotion, a font for flame!
Focus on the Fire Pit
Something there is about a fire, a bonfire, a fire pit, even a fireplace with a home.
There’s the primordial power – at once invigorating and soothing – of dry logs, dancing flames, crackling and popping, mesmerizing light and warmth and aroma.
But even more than a curiosity of combustion it’s the camaraderie, the coming together of kindred spirits to share experience, stories, laughter, libation, and perhaps a meal.
Fiery Folklore
This fire pit, new to Rosslyn, but not totally new to us, joined us in Santa Fe during coronavirus. In the days when we were still social distancing and longing for connectedness, Susan and I discovered this fire pit/grill. Its robust construction cradles a hot, hardwood fire for many hours. Once the logs burn down, leaving a glowing bed of coals, it’s time to cook.
A donut shaped griddle fabricated out of thick steel provides an ideal surface for searing vegetables and more delicate proteins like fish and shrimp. In the center, we can add the perforated grill to cook meats or leave it open to continue kindling the fire.
We prepare ingredients and invite guests to participate in the preparation. Marinated portobello mushrooms, sliced eggplant, peppers, onions, steaks, kebabs,… The options are endless when huddling around an open fire, shoulder to shoulder, laughing and listening, cooking and storytelling, adding another log or two, sparks rising briefly up into the darkness.
Culinary camaraderie. The mesmerizing magic of a fire at the center of a gathering. And then it’s time for s’mores and a singalong!
Fire Pit Gratitude
Glen and Tony, this is what you unwrapped and assembled today. This is the ritual and rapture you’ve centered on the stone hearth you created with your hands and hard work. This is the centerpiece of the near view that we will enjoy soon as we soak in the hot tub or share a meal in the icehouse courtyard. You have shaped this environment over many months, shepherding my vision into reality. I hope that you have are enjoying this convergence. Coalescence. Denouement.
Thank you.
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