The Great Boat Race

The older cousins started a tradition every summer of having a boat race down the ditch.  It's so much more than a race though - it is an art!  Look at these masterpiece ships they made out of paper and tape.  Evan showed everyone one up with his 13-flagged tall ship - "The Empress".  These kids worked for days building their ships.  

Look at the details on this.

Here they are heading up to the ditch for the first round of races.

It was so sad to see all their works of art eventually sink to the depths of the ditch,  But it's all part of the sport.

Here they are at the finish line retrieving the ships that made it.

Clayton's won the first round - first ship to the bridge.

Evan launches "The Empress"

A beautiful sight - but didn't hold against the dashing rocks and rills of the ditch.

Catie's entire ship sunk but her captain hung on for dear life to the mast and amazingly finished the race dry.

Brigham catches his boat at the finish line.

Eliza and Lydia didn't have ships of their own but enjoyed helping with the rescue.

Lydia (barely 3) was the winner for the day though when she fell of the bridge backwards into the ditch.

Luckily Nate pulled her out by the scruff of her neck in the nick of time and carried her safely home.

Poor Lydia.  But hooray for the Great Boat Race!  What a great tradition!