"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."
I John 1:7
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The blog is desperately behind! There are many highlights of our trip that we have yet to blog about, so we will be intermingling those posts with our everyday happenings.
Labor Day ~ a day of the year most Americans take a vacation from their labors....
It certainly proved to be a fun and relaxing day for our family! New Life Baptist Church (mentioned in a previous post) had their annual picnic and invited us to come along. Each family brought a dish to go along with the meal. We debated what to take....meatloaf burgers...parmesan chicken....but what better food to take to a Maryland picnic than Maryland Blue Crabs?!?
Ray, with a little help from the girls, had worked extremely hard to catch enough crabs for the picnic. Labor Day morning, Dad and Ray pulled up the live box and...
Voila! There were 13 dozen crabs. That's 156 crabs!!!
There is a definite reason for the pinchers...with long handles! : )
Just in case you need this information some day ~ NEVER cook a dead crab...and certainly don't eat it!
We threw them in this bucket with some ice. They become lethargic when they get cold, and they stay alive longer.
A bucket full of docile crabs.
This was the only time some of us dared to hold a hard shell crab.
The picnic was held at a local elementary school so there were plenty of things to keep us busy.
She talked some of us into joining her on the slide, but we found out all too soon that the curves were too sharp for comfort. Wham! Wham! Wham! and you're done. There was no convincing us that we needed a second turn. : )
The crab table preparations
Games like volleyball, bad mitten, and horseshoes were set up.
When people began arriving, it was time to start steaming the crabs.
It was a good thing they were put on ice. As the ice melted, the crabs' crabbiness returned full force!
And just how many people does it take to steam a pot of crabs?
The little ones enjoyed this seesaw. The little guy in the middle couldn't touch the ground, so his siblings gave him an extra workout.
There was so much food!
The first pot of crabs was done, and it was time for the next. The ice had pretty well melted, and the crabs were as ornery as ever!
Careful, Ray!
Someone asked him if he'd ever gotten pinched.
Well, there's always a first. : )
This is what you call learning from your mistakes!
Watching the crowd around the crab cooker would remind one of the Three Stooges or maybe even Laurel and Hardy. : )
All ready to go over the flame.
The first batch is ready! Come and get it!
There was enough food for an army!
And enough crabs for the whole state of Maryland! : )
This little one was excited about hers!
The crowd around the table grew...
...and grew...
...and grew until it almost seemed like there was a waiting list. : )
Mmmmm, mmmmm, good!
The bees thought so, too. They would fly off with big chunks of crab meat.
After the meal, we all enjoyed the games and fellowship.
Some played bad mitten,
some enjoyed passing the football,
while still others enjoyed the chance just to talk....or to listen depending on which end you were on. : )
The group on the teeter totter grew,
and eventually a game of volleyball started up.
The group on the teeter totter 10+ years later. : )
I don't wanna grow up, I'm a Toys 'R Us kid....
This little guy is SO cute! and SO sweet! and SO chunky!
Absolutely adorable!
There also were a few games of horseshoes.
Allison has such a knack for putting babies to sleep. If it's not the little one's nap time, don't hand him over! : )
And toward the end of the day, when all the excitement was winding down, the cutest thing happened...
...they found new toys!
Want a closer look?
They were chasing each other with crab claws! Now how's that for creativity?!?
