On Wednesday afternoon, I descended into Tom Lee Park and was greeted by the incredible smell of barbecue. The 264 teams are already smoking, even as they are still assembing their booths in preparation for this evening’s “Friends and Family” night.

Today is what a lazy writer would call a perfect day. Last night’s thunderstorms have brought in the most glorious weather. Feels like early spring with a nice breeze off the Mississippi River.

When I see the Jolly Roger flying amid the more traditional flags of Spain, Tennessee and the good ol’ USA, I realize that I’ve arrived at OUR booth. Such is the piratical playfulness of our team members. The place looks entirely different than I left it on Sunday. During the last two days I’ve been in the office, the Ques Brothers have been finishing up our pleasure palace.

Our pitmaster, Willie, arrived with the grill on Tuesday, and at midnight, he threw on the first piece of meat, a big beef brisket, that will be slow-roasted over applewood smoke and served at our party tonight. We’ve also put on a bunch of ribs, some chicken and various other non-meat items. Let me tell you: It smells terrific up in here. Here’s one of Willie, feedin’ that applewood flame…

Most importantly, Danny has brought us, as a reward for all the hard work, two kegs of Franziskaner beer. No crappy Budweiser for this crew. At least, not until these boys run out. Thank you, Danny!

Due to the sheer expense of having a team at the competition (our budget is $17,000), we needed to find a sponsor. Our facade — a large advertisment for Terex Construction — is the result of that sponsorship. The company also gave us a bunch of interior equipment: tables, chairs, cups, etc.

Earlier today, Steve remarked that our whole set up is very Feng Sui. Steve doesn’t seem like a guy who uses that world lightly. The interior is bright, breezy, roomy, shady, and the bar is totally stocked. Coffee John brought in a bag of alcohol infused oranges. “Instant screwdrivers” he calls them.

In this picture, you can see what we — total newcomers — are up against in the competition. We’re fussing with getting our facade on straight, while next door… well, how would YOU describe it? It’s like the Forbidden Palace in China.

Finally, with apologies to Joe Rosenthal, our team members Mikey and Frank raise the flag of Spain over Castle Ques Brothers.

Since first taking this photo, I have been accused of staging this dramatic scene. I would like to take this opportunity right now to say that while I did not stage “the event itself,” but I did say: “Oh wait, hold on a second, this stupid camera isn’t turning on fast enough. Okay, wait while I change the white balance. Hold it… Hold it…. Okay, wait that one was blurry, one more, one more! Okay Now!” And that is how we got this picture.