Sophie-fest

Last Saturday we drove down to the Barsana Dham Hindu temple for their Mela Fest -- a traditional Indian festival with dancing, music, Indian food, jugglers, a petting zoo, bouncy castles, and tons of wildflowers. The temple looms over the Central Texas hill country and is painted white and gold. When we pulled up, Sophie shouted, "It's my capitol!" (She has a book that shows pictures of the state capitol and always gets very excited when we drive by the real deal.)

Sophie is shy around people sometimes -- at least for the first few minutes. She is NEVER shy around animals, and really loved feeding the camel at the petting zoo.

And who can resist a baby goat?!?

Our little Saint Francis, lover of animals: (Sorry, Hindu friends...I don't know which god/goddess is the patron of animals, but I know a little about good ol' St. Frank after hot-gluing a stuffed bird to a choir robe for Frank one Halloween.)

Sophie loved watching the dancers, too. She goes to dance class at school on Tuesdays. When we ask her what she learns in dance, she always says, "I learn to shake it, shake, shake it." Hmmm...could be good for a part-time college job...

Sophie tries out her new dance moves in a field of flowers:

And after the festival, we headed over to the Salt Lick for some barbeque and beer with friends. Don't tell the Hindus... it really is such a strange irony to build a Hindu temple across from one of the most famous bbq joints in Texas. We couldn't help ourselves.