Shaine Mata

The Renegades: July 4, 2008

Originally uploaded by shainelee.

Yesterday was an interesting day for me. It started at 5:30 AM. I met with The Renegades, a barbecue competition team headed by Texas State Representative Ryan Guillen. We arrived and started getting things ready for Texas Cook ‘Em in Edinburg, Tx. There was a large number of teams competing at the event. One of the first things I did was go out and look for water for the cook while the team got the fire going. Here in South Texas, the obvious choice of wood for grilling is mesquite. By 7 o’clock, it had started drizzling. Fortunately we had one of those collapsible canopies which are popular. We used it to cover the firewood so that we could keep on grilling. The rain got heavier and we were all drenched in no time as we stood around the edge of the canopy covering the firewood. We had a problem getting the grill to heat up due to the rain. Another problem developed in that the trailer with the grill was parked in an area that pooled the water about 4 inches. Things just weren’t going well.

After a while, I went to South Texas Communications to meet with co-worker Bill Fitzpatrick so he could open the door. I was going to meet up with a client later in the day to deliver his computer. We talked tech a bit, then I went to deliver the computer. Upon returning to Texas Cook ‘Em, I met up with Rep. Aaron Peña. We went to Elsa, Texas to check out the 4th of July celebration there. Afterwards, we headed back to Edinburg to rejoin The Renegades.

Back at the park, the ribs and chicken had already been submitted for judging. The only meat remaining was the brisket. Once that was done and sliced, we submitted it for judging. All there was left was to wait for the announcements, which were scheduled for 6 PM. We chatted, drank beer, and went for rides on the bus that shuttled people around the event. When the time came, we walked away without any awards. That’s a bit of a bummer; but we do have a story to tell and had fun.

Later that night, I went to watch Hancock, still in my wet clothes. My family is out of town for the weekend, so there was nobody to accompany me on such short notice. That was my 4th of July.