Pizza Night

Chuck, fellow Neurologist and friend, known in these parts
as "El Experto de la Pizza".

I love rocks. All kinds of rocks, but especially Georgia field rocks. Most stone stores will sell rocks that are variable in size but consistently flat. While store bought stones are all imported, and relatively easy to stack, our native Georgia rocks are dirt tinged, hard, irregularly shaped and vary dramatically in size. This make them difficult to work with and generally speaking no one wants them. I love these rocks for all the reasons they are unpopular. For years I harvested ALL the roadside rocks I could find, in this county and the next. I used them in numerous projects around my property: stonewalls, foundations and various other eclectic structures I felt drawn to construct.

A few years ago while riding north of town I came across 6 pallets of local rocks for sale at a garden store. I swung around, got off my bike, and studied the pile. This was very unusual to see. When the owner came out, I paid for them on the spot and arranged for them to be delivered. As I got back on my bike and started pedaling away, the proprietor asked what I intended to use them for and I responded " I'll think of something."

Every morning as I left for work, I saw those pallets of Georgia stone sitting in the side yard just waiting for me to come up with an idea of how to use them. I thought about those stones on the way to work, on my way home from work, and in the early evenings when I rode. One afternoon I saw the man who had delivered the stones.

"Have you decided how to use the rocks?" he asked."Not yet," I replied.

Then one day I had my idea. I decided to build a pizza oven in my backyard. It did not take long to find plans on the Internet. These plans were very detailed on how to build a raised concrete insulated slab and how to construct the oven that went on top of it from cut fire bricks stacked and mortared to form a parabolic dome.The chimney, stone house, iron gates and tile roof were my additions. For the personal touch I included about 10 small stones that I retrieved from the tops of most of the famous Tour de France mountains. It took several bike trips to climb these mountains located in the Alps, the Pyrenees, as well as the 'Giant of Provence', and the most difficult: Mount Ventoux. Adding a little weight on the descents when reaching speeds of over 60 mph seemed like a good idea at the time and now, when I look at the oven and see those rocks, I'm glad I made the effort.

Approaching the end of 32 kilometer Mt. Ventoux climb

I also added a porcelain black and white photo of my parents as newlyweds. I love this picture in part, I suppose, because they appear very happy.. This photo was taken before my birth, an event that may have soured their mood for decades. They certainly loved me and were very caring parents, but I suspect there were many days when my slightly hyperactive disorder wore them down.

The building of the oven was a long and difficult process, but now that it is finished, I'm very pleased with the result and use it regularly. This is the best time of year for pizza making here in Middle Georgia, no bugs and perfect temperature.. I have picked up some great recipes for the homemade dough and the pizzas. There is always a bit of work involved with preparing for a pizza gathering, but with the help of family and friends, these parties seem to go well. Chuck(seen above) is my regular 'sui' assistant.

The fire is built in the oven and the wood is pushed to the side with a copper brush when the pizzas are loaded. I can measure the temperature with a laser and the oven can reach 1200 F. The pizza will cook in one minute at this temp which is too fast. The ideal temp for best crust texture is 600 to 700F. The oven is surrounded by the herb garden, note the rosemary, and a semicircle of Italian cypresses. The copper tub is used to build a fire that can warm the guests on winter nights.

The Elder Hopes as young people