I picked up keys to the restaurant space today and took my oldest son for a first look. After being a little spooked by an unlit construction site he ended up declaring "your barbecue place is going to be really cool." Three cheers for that.
Today was just about perfect: it snowed in the morning, later my son declared on his own "Daddy, i'd like to shovel the rink," the smoker was fired up at noon, we went for a road trip to get a kitten from a shelter, then I went for a night-time skate with the fresh smell of the final hour of a pork shoulder melting away in the smoker, and finally a barbecue feast of chopped pork sandwiches w/ coleslaw, vinegar sauce, baked beans, and my wife's canned pickles form the summer. Now that's a damn fine day.
