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october/noveMber 2013 Macon Magazine i 27 were correct and decided to cook by feeling the fire with our hands and saying a temperature. "Oh, that's about 175." I even converted my guess to Celsius a few times but nobody seemed to notice. Failure is an option. You could always just drown it with sauce. We planned on our 90-pound hog to cook for eight to 10 hours. During the cook, we flipped the hog a couple of times, each time mopping it with our rub. In between we sat in a circle and told tales. HOT, TIRED AND GRUMPY Chad founded the band Hank Vegas and recruited Vic as his lead guitarist in 2003. Vic was living in the Brunswick area on a sailboat, where he was the co-coordinator at a school for children with disabilities. He holds five degrees specializing in education and emotional and behavioral disorders. I had just moved to Macon to start the 11th Hour and ran into them pretty quickly while trying to get a handle on the music scene in Macon. After driving up for gigs and weekends for a couple of years, Vic cashed in his retirement and started up The Hummingbird. We all became fast friends, salvaging wood from an old barn I had to build the bar at Vic's new Taproom. We were young and idealistic about what Macon could become, and when we get together, there is no shortage of stories between us. Time may pass and things may change, but some things do not. This is the fun part for me. This is my food. Word of a hog-cooking travels fast. Neighbors come over unannounced, friends tell friends. Passers-by stop. Just as the potato salad got cold and the guitars were starting to come out, The Pick happened. The hog was separated, meat was pulled from the bone and mixed with sauce and put inside just in time for the Alabama-Texas A&M kickoff. We were all hot, tired and a little grumpy, but everyone seemed like they enjoyed it. And as the night went on and folks were gathered up on the lawn singing songs from Texas and drinking wine and laughing, Chad looked at me and observed, "Sometimes, especially when it comes to fire and meat, passion and women, I don't mind working hard and sweating a bit. It makes for a better return on investment." Me neither. Brad and Megan Evans own the 11th Hour. The future looks brighter when you plan for it. TM FEE-ONLY FINANCIAL PLANNING DAY & ENNIS, LLC www.dayandennis.com (478) 474-7480