Community Soup

After checking out the steam train (see previous post), we spent the night at a hotel in a nearby town so that we could enjoy another offering of the area - the annual Community Soup and Souper Run held a beachside park!  (Note of interest: this was the first time our kids had EVER slept in a hotel.  They thought it was neat, especially the girls, who got to share a bed.  Kassia promised Nadia that, everytime we stayed at a hotel, she would share a bed with her.  This overjoyed Nadia!)

Both Paul and Luke ran in the races and Luke won 2nd place amongst all the boys who ran the kids' run!  After the race, we stuck around for soup that had cooked for hours in huge cast iron kettles, stirred by wooden oars.  If you're from our area, you might call it booyah.  Or, if you hail from the south, it might make more sense to call it gumbo.  Either way, it was great (and free)!  Naturally, the kids had to have some beach time, too.

Some pictures:

at the starting line

after the finish

Winners in the top 2 of each division receive a medal and a soup bowl made by a local potter.  (Paul medaled, too, but didn't bring home a bowl.)

Just so sweet; one of my favorite pictures of Pia and Grandma!

stirring

steaming

dishing

digesting

be-ing

splashing