Scarlett the Starlet: Rockport 2012

This year's annual Schwegmann gathering in Rockport on the Texas coast was a sad but special one. We learned early the morning we were headed out of town that Father Joe (Paw's brother, Chris's uncle) passed away. Father Joe was a Catholic priest in the Philippines, where he had lived since the 1970s during his days in the Peace Corps. He was headed to Texas for the summer when he passed, and was planning to join the family in Rockport, a place he loved. Everyone agreed that Father Joe would want us to go forward with our plans, and so we did, albeit with heavy hearts.

Headed to the beach by the house we rented.

Shell hunting with Mimi and Papa Tig (honorary Schwegmanns for the weekend).

Good morning, Sunshine!

Hanging out in the pillow circle.

Swimming with Papa Tig.

On the ferry headed to Port Aransas. (Scarlett didn't believe that our car was going to be able to fit on a boat. "But it's too big!")

Port Aransas beach.

Checking out the critters in the bucket.

Pretty girl.

The beach was crawling with hermit crabs and lots of Schwegmanns.

Max's first time out on Hunt's Pier. I told Chris I thought it was getting rickety. He laughed and regaled me with tales of how back when he was a kid, the pier didn't have railing, it had rusty nails sticking out of it, it had missing, splintered, and uneven planks, and the kids used to run up and down it barefoot swinging fish hooks and waving floundering gigs. So I guess I'll take "rickety" over "lawsuit waiting to happen."

Max checks out a tiny live crab.

And then a very wiggly live shrimp, which he promptly grabbed and tried to put in his mouth. Chris's grandfather (Paw's father) used to tell the kids to spit on the shrimp for good luck before using it as bait. Maybe that's what Max was doing?

Cruising on the pier.

Max and Mimi enjoying the music at the family gathering on Saturday night. Apparently classic country really speaks to Max, who was dancing up a storm.