I confess, I’m a grillin’ man. My daddy was a grillin’ man before me and my sons are grillin’ men too.
    I once read a theory that the affinity the male of the species has for cooking meat over an open flame harkens back to our cavemen ancestors cooking a recently caught antelope or bison over a roaring fire in front of the cave while the whole tribe waited inside for the feast to come.
    Maybe.
    I just know that hovering over a grill with a beverage in one hand and a pair of barbecue tongs in the other, flipping burgers or brats, a big juicy steak or half a chicken, is a very soul-satisfying experience.
    Although many of us grillin’ men have been known to stand outside over our grills in the dead of winter, summer is really the height of the season and this issue of Elkhart County Living features some of the best grillin’ men out there.
    There’s Scott McKee, famous for his “brat tub,” who loves to cook for family and friends. Randy Grewe loves grilling so much he bought Old Hoosier Meats in Middlebury. And Charlie Lamb has done extremely well in national grilling contests.
    Most of us don’t cook over roaring fires like our cavemen ancestors, so you can also check out the latest in top of the line grills.
    Some grillin’ men also fall into the “Big Boys, Big Toys” category, and we have a photo feature this month on some very cool outdoor toys from riding mowers to an eight-wheeled amphibious land/water vehicle.
    Of course, that’s not all:
    Hot weather is here and we have a list of local places to go to cool off, including splash pads, pools and beaches.
    Our Living Green feature tells you how to create a rain garden to help filter ground water.
    Places in the Park looks at Pipewort Pond, a hidden treasure worth taking the time to find.
    Downtown Goshen’s Kelly Jae’s is the featured restaurant and The Scene looks at Oaklawn’s Spring Spectacular, which featured Steve Lopez, author of “The Soloist.”
   
    Happy reading!
    Publisher Jim Kroemer