Our whole crew headed to Hunt's pier for some fishin' at the first annual Schwegmann Kids Fishing Tournament (or something like that ... official name still to be decided). We usually participate in a kids fishing tournament put on by a local conservation organization, but we missed it by one weekend this year, so we just decided to have our own tournament instead.
Scarlett caught lots and lots of (very little) fish. She wasn't the least bit squeamish about putting the bait on or touching her fish.
Max inspects Scarlett's haul.
Some of Scarlett's victims fish. See the look of desperation in their eyes?
Cousin Mila and Scarlett showing off what they reeled in.
Scarlett's trusty fishing assistant, Paw.
Not sure what's going on here, maybe some kind of fish high five high fin? While Scarlett was busy catching fish, Max was busy trying to dump over the bucket and throw the fish (or anything else he could get his hands on) back into the water. When we were done, Mila, Scarlett, and Max released all the fish back into the water "so they could go home," according to Scarlett. (We tried not to dwell on the fact that they seemed to head home by floating on their sides or sinking to the bottom like stones. I'm sure they were just resting.)
After fishing, Max cooled off with a nap in the air-conditioning, while Scarlett cooled off with an unexpected dip in the pool at Cousin Jordan, Aunt Jeni, and Uncle John's vacation house on Copano Bay. Scarlett borrowed another house guest's floaties, and that combined with some help from Aunt Jeni gave Scarlett the courage to swim all over the deep end and even jump in from the side of the pool for the first time ever.
Swimming with Cousin Jordan.
Aunt Brenda and Grandma.
Jumping!
Here's a video of our girl in action. Go Scarlett!!
We recently returned from our annual pilgrimage to Rockport for a Schwegmann-tastic reunion. This year we rented a house on a canal in Key Allegro, a community built on a peninsula, along with Grandma, Paw, Papa Tig, and Mimi.
Scarlett and Paw did some fishing from the canal on our first day there.
First fish of the trip!
Chris and Max give it a go. They didn't catch anything, although a few days later Chris told a highly dramatic fish tale about "the one that got away." Late one night when everyone else was sleeping (how convenient), Chris allegedly caught a giant trout from this same spot. I suspect Chris may have been dreaming, but he swears there was an epic struggle between him and the trout that he lost only due to lack of a net (or more likely, lack of the trout's existence).
A visitor. (He didn't believe Chris, either.)
Making French toast with Papa Tig.
Swimming!
You tell 'em, Max.
Watching the storm roll in and admiring the boats in Port Aransas before dinner.
What to do when the storm finally hits and dumps buckets of rain? Dance!
The good news: the kids (and Papa Tig) had a blast playing in the rain. The bad news: our planned evening on the beach in Port Aransas playing with cousins got rained out.
Scarlett taking in the scenery on the ferry ride back to Rockport.
Coming up ... more swimming and fishing, partying, and fun at the beach!
We finally checked out the new Klyde Warren Park (aka the "Deck Park") a few weekends ago. It's such a great idea -- a park was essentially created out of thin air above a recessed portion of the Woodall Rogers Freeway, which previously acted as a canyon of sorts dividing downtown and uptown. The freeway is now a tunnel that runs directly under the park, so now instead of being divided, downtown and uptown are now connected by a lovely and vibrant green space.
Although relatively small at just under six acres, the park has a lot to offer, including a pavilion for concerts and other performances, a dog park, a children's area, a games area (with ping pong, croquet, and chess), and several food trucks on the perimeter.
Max checking out some of the food trucks.
Scarlett and Chris eating lunch in the shade (Max prefers to wander while he eats these days; it's especially charming at restaurants). That's the children's play area behind the fence.
Here's a shot of a band performing in the pavilion with Woodall Rogers traffic behind them to give you a sense of how the park is literally built on top of the freeway. The traffic you see is ground-level but is starting to descend into the tunnel that runs under the entire length of the park.
Scarlett and Max found the most exciting feature of the park to be the various fountains that come up out of the sidewalk. These things practically beg little kids to run through them, and Scarlett and Max were no exception.
Jean shorts + too much water = a wardrobe malfunction in the making. Max looks on as Scarlett's shorts start their journey southward.
Journey complete.
Daddy to the rescue!
The second building from the left -- the one that sort of looks like three books stacked next to each other -- is Chris's office building. He offices in the middle/tallest "book" on the 27th floor.
