Despite early morning fog and some occasionally partly cloudy skies during mid-day, the solar cookout hosted by Claudia Hilligoss and John Robbins at John's southern Kenton County KY house went well. It attracted a dozen members from AEA and the NKY Sierra Club. John and Claudia are members of both groups. Other AEA attendees included Jeanette Raichyk from Clermont County OH, Bill Bross and Susan Auel from western Hamilton County OH; Greg Ernst, his wife Sara and two children John and Max from Clermont County OH; and John's wife Gail. NKY Sierra Club attendees included Susan Patton and her daughter Ann from Pendleton County KY.

The two solar ovens initially fought hard against the fog and partly cloudy skies, but eventually each reached and held temperatures around 250 F by around noon. With John's PV-powered boombox tuned to WNKU in the background, his oven baked his 15 home-made veggie burritos consisting of soft flour shells wrapping rice, refried beans and cheese. Claudia home-made the salsa to dress the burritos. Claudia's oven baked several trays of her home-made chocolate chip cookies. Solar ice tea was the dominant drink, although some preferred soda. After John's oven finished baking burritos, Greg used it to cook hot-dogs he brought for his kids, who at first didn't believe it was possible to cook with a solar cooker! (Now they know!)

Susan Patton brought a yummy cherry cake with vanilla icing and another dish of cooked green beans recently picked from her garden. Susan Auel brought an also yummy blackberry cobbler with berries she said were picked that morning from her yard. By the time the skies really clouded up and the storms arrived after 3pm, everyone had eaten more than plenty! Jeanette and Claudia stayed to help John with the cleanup.

Thanks to everyone for making this a fun solar day! It's always nice to have fun while demonstrating and educating about the many ways to use the sun in our daily lives instead of relying on fuel-burning for everything!