There are many summer things I think about when my mind is in overdrive and devoid of sensible things.

One thing I like to reflect upon is the time - the very first time I tried to B.B.Q. a 200 pound hog.

The scene is set in Poolesville when it was a small bucolic town 22 years ago and John Campbell and I decided the best thing in the world would be to B.B.Q. said hog to the accompaniment of Blue Grass music and a wee bit of malt beverages.

The scene was set. The hog was bought. I was desperate; not knowing the first thing about barbecuing a 200 pounder. If it had been a bratwurst or a polish sausage I was in.

There is nothing like constructive ignorance. John and I decided the first important step was to get a fire going. This decision was only arrived at after two hours of beer sampling. We finally got the hog on the spit after dropping it a few times on the ground. (We had figured out this would give it a good country flavor.)

This was accomplished around 4 p.m. on a stifling hot summer evening. We spent the next 15 hours basting and turning the spit. People started to arrive. The Blue Grass music was in high screech and the hog was not done all the way through yet. At high noon it finally was done so to celebrate the suspicious occasion I took a bottle of Courvoisier Cognac and poured it over our crispy hog and set it on fire. You know, it tasted pretty good!

The best thing with this would be a pasta salad made with penne. Take 1 lb. of cooked penne, toss with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, crushed black pepper and salt (just enough to coat), and let it sit for a while. Then add chopped onion, green pepper, celery, black olives and some marinated artichoke hearts. Toss well then add mayo blended with a little Dijon mustard. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley and chill. Then you chill out.

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