In the Beginning…of Fire Pits…
maybe.
Have you ever wondered about the origins of the fire pit? Probably not, but I have. When I imagine the beginnings of the fire pit, two cavemen like humans are working together; perhaps begrudgingly.I prefer to call them George and Bill.
George and Bill often cracked stones together to create the hammers and knives they need for daily living. One day, while carrying out their rock cracking routine, George carelessly cracked a few of his fingers between two stones. In his caveman dialect of grunts and moans, he angrily murmured something Bill thought was about his cavewoman mate. He throws a stone at George and grunts an insult back. Now furious, George picks up the large stone embedded in the soil that they use for their rock splintering anvil. He throws it at Bill, but Bill is nimble and practiced at dodging airborne stones. The large stone bounces off the large pile of stones waiting to be cracked and sparks a fire in the dry grass growing in and around it. The two look at each wide eyed. George loudly declares “I HAVE CREATED FIRE”. Bill sarcastically chuckles, “where ya gonna put it?” as he watches the fire quickly grow. George looks at Bill with an icy glare. He calmly reaches down to grab some of the smoldering grass and sets it gently into the hole created by the anvil stone being dislodged. And so, the fire pit was born.
Much like humans, the fire pit has come a long way since the era of the caveman. It has gained the potential to be vastly more sophisticated than a simple hole in the ground. They now come in an infinite number of shapes and sizes made with materials both exotic and simple. Fire pits now have fuel sources ranging from wood to gas, and even simulated. But, in this evolution of sophistication, the fire pit still maintains its simple core purposes.
Fire Place
Fire pits, in one form or another, have become integral to the American back yard. Some of them more secluded, simple, and subtle, while others are extravagant focal points of the landscape. Focal points can give us ques about what are supposed do and feel in living space, outdoors or not. The fire place, for example, brings to mind gathering together and story telling.
Fire pits, however primitive, provide us an opportunity to produce that unmatched, flame licked and slightly charred, flavor to some of our favorite summer foods. Hotdogs, Brats, Pork chops and the legendary marshmallow just taste better cooked over an open fire with little else but a stick. I am not sure I have met an American that doesn’t have a childhood memory of burning their marshmallow to a crisp while attempting the perfect s’more cooked at a fire pit.
Fire Pit at its Finest
Fall is my personal favorite time of year. Warm days capped with crisp cool air of dusk. It is just cool enough that a fire too small isn’t sufficient and a light blanket may be necessary. People are forced to draw a little closer to fire and there for a little closer to each other. They can see each other’s faces clearly in the warm glow of the fire. They speak a little quieter and are listened to more easily. People relax and connect. If an individual leaves the fire pit, they become cold and quickly hurry back to the group. This is, perhaps, the function of a fire pit at its finest.
Fire pits are more than just a focal point in a landscape. They are tools for us to create the intangible. Around them, we gather, we smile, we laugh, we create what we can not measure. Around them we grow and evolve.
