Scarlett the Starlet: June 2015

The Friday after Thanksgiving, the kids, BB, Grandma and I headed to Austin for lunch and a visit with Tycha, an old family friend from El Paso, who moved to Austin to be near her grandsons. When I was a kid, BB and I spent a lot of time with Tycha, her husband Ron, and their sons Tige and Tyron, including some memorable vacations to Disney World and Washington D.C. I hadn't seen Tycha in several years and was excited to see her and for her to meet Scarlett and Max. First we lunched at one of my college/law school favorites, Hula Hut, on Lake Austin (also the scene of one of Maw Maw's famous moments where she launched a tortilla off the patio like a frisbee during dinner to "feed the fish").

Checking out a guy showing off his water jet pack.

BB and Tycha at Tycha's place after lunch.

After a lovely drive on the back roads to Grandma and Paw's, it was time to set up camp. We figured camping in their backyard was a good way to ease the kids into camping (and a good way for me to still get to sleep in a bed). Looks like Scarlett was directing the guys about how best to set up the tent despite the fact that she has no idea what she's doing (a trait she may or may not have inherited from me).

How many Schwegmanns does it take to set up a tent? At least five, apparently.

Gathering wood for the campfire (what's camping without a campfire?).

Relaxing after all that effort.

Inspecting his handiwork.

S'mores time. Note the look of ~~disgust~~ skepticism on Scarlett's face -- she is not a fan of marshmallows (an aversion she most certainly did NOT inherit from me).

After lots of talking, including a breakdown of whether or not dinosaurs live in the woods next to Grandma and Paw's house (Max feels strongly that they do; Scarlett kept insisting that they are extinct, but Max wasn't buying it), the kids finally went to sleep. Here's a picture Chris sent me from inside the ~~trenches~~ tent.

Good morning, camper!

On Saturday, we headed to Boerne to meet up with my godmother Cherry. After a delicious lunch at the Peach Tree Cafe, we checked out some of the events at Dickens on Main, a community event kicking off the Christmas season in historic downtown Boerne. Here I am with Cherry and BB at the outdoor artisan market.

The kids can't pass up a pony ride.

The petting zoo was a hit, too.

Warning: brace yourself for an excessive amount of goat pictures. You see, Max and this goat really hit it off. It was love at first sight (at least for Max; the goat seems a bit blasé to be honest).

They meet.

Max stares deep into the goat's eyes.

Scarlett comes to investigate Max's sudden obsession with the goat. (Yeah, Scarlett -- I didn't really get it either.)

Max tries to connect to the goat on his level. Literally.

A side hug. That's definitely what the goat needs.

I had to finally drag Max away from his new friend. Some friendships you just can't explain ...

Before heading back to Grandma and Paw's, we stopped off at River Road Park to feed the ducks.

Not to be outdone by Max's beloved goat, here's some Longhorns that are Paw and Grandma's newish neighbors (they hang out on the property along their common driveway). I'd like to encourage Max to take more of an interest in Longhorns than that random goat for college mascot purposes (although Max should note that Longhorn hugs are probably not a great idea).

We headed down to Grandma and Paw's place for Thanksgiving, and as usual, started off our visit with a bit of golf and playing out back.

Grandma and BB enjoying the ~~spectacular golf~~ nice weather.

Scarlett and Max decided that was a good idea, too.

Randy swung by for a visit.

Scarlett and Max helping Grandma prepare the relish tray on Thanksgiving morning.

Cousins checking out the birdbath.

Nice form, Max.

A few pointers from Daddy while some more cousins watch.

Speaking of cousins, here are most of the Schwegmann and Suehs cousins from Paw's generation (Charlie, George, Paw, Ben, Willy, Meg, Jim, and Robbie).