Colour My Summer 2015, Gorinchem, NL

Every summer before school starts, the last week, in fact, Gorinchem (where we live here in the Netherlands) has a Zomerfeest (Summer Festival).  Think MUSIC, loud bands everywhere, fun-n-games (like building forts out of wood at the beach).  That was last week.  School started this week.

E V E R Y summer.  It's like clockwork.  How cool is that!

Last year a new event got started up here called Colour My Summer, which Astrid and I totally missed...because it didn't come across our radar or because it rained?  Probably both.

But THIS year, Astrid's son Jeroen (and DIL Eva) ran in it, so we paid attention.  Colour My Summer is a 5 km run/walk that raises money for charity.  Last year, in spite of the rain, they raised €22K.  This year, with 500 participants, they raised €24K.

The run/walk started at the market square near us and then wound around our citadel wall.

After every kilometer, a new powdered paint was sprayed onto the participants:

red, green, pink, blue and orange.

Astrid and I decided to set ourselves in place early at the pink station,

in front of our De Hoop windmill, while they got ready.

Of course, the volunteers had to try it out on themselves first!

Then someone on top of the windmill yelled, "They're coming!"

We were all ready, trust me.

At one point, Astrid reminded me that I could take some videos.
(why do I almost always forget!)
So, I did...and just happened to catch Jeroen and Eva as they ran by.
Jeroen is the one jumping up and down.  HA!
And yes, that's Astrid yelling their names!

What a colossal mess, which is why they were all given glasses to wear.
Some were smart enough to also wear mouth/nose masks.
Can you imagine if it were raining, like last year?

We followed the last stragglers away from the windmill...
and looked back at that sea of pink dust.
Volunteers all along the way made sure the runners followed the correct route.

But Astrid and I cut through town back to the market square for the last station.
How appropriate to end with the color orange, right?!

And there we watched Jeroen and Eva (and friends) finish the course.
Astrid says she always knows when Jeroen is having a good time.
When I see him jump around like that, I know, too!

The charity receiving this year's €24K was AMREF Flying Doctors,
bettering the health in Africa of young women in particular,
with emphasis on alternative rituals to female genital mutilation.

OMG!  Our girls.  Lest we forget!

And now they're back to school.  Summer is now officially over here in our city,
but the colors will remain for many days to come.