The Zucchini Experience

I don't know that I have ever in my life before been invited to go and race zucchinis.  But there is a first for everything, or so I have heard.  Troy got a text on Sunday afternoon from some friends who just moved into our neighborhood. The text went like this: "Want to come race zucchinis with us down City Creek?"  We had never received such a message and were fascinated - for some reason I was imagining us going to the top of City Creek Canyon and rolling the things down the winding road, but I'm not always that bright.  We gratefully accepted the invitation, seeing as how we all had really bad cabin fever by Sunday night.  Of course we did not go to the top of a canyon, but up Memory Grove to the actual City Creek.

It was the most beautiful September evening; still warm and lovely and past the high heat of summer.  We strolled up through the park enjoying wonderful conversation and watching the other visitors who were partaking in the glories of a Sunday evening in September.  We headed up to the banks of the stream where the kids instantly shed all traces of footwear and pretty much leaped right into the water.  Our friends brought several very overgrown zucchinis, which were passed out among the kids, who prepared to hurl them into the water to speed down the stream in a race to the finish.  Except this one thing....once hitting the shallow water they pretty much just lodged themselves on the rocks and didn't move at all.  There was just a moment of disappointment but luckily it was quickly overcome because our friends came prepared not only with large produce but with a bag full of tiny plastic boats which were small and light enough to actually float down the stream.  We held a boat regatta and the kids found other ways to amuse themselves with the zucchini. Well, the girls mostly romped and splashed and pretended to ride horses around on the grass.  The boys, however, took over the vegetable entertainment and had a ball hurling them into the lake, blasting them into chunks and wearing the remaining pieces as Wonder Woman-esque wrist bands.

I haven't had such a fun evening in a long time.  I need to participate in vegetable sports more often.