July 4th weekend
some friends from dallas came to round rock for the weekend -- lots of swimming and junk food and matrix movie marathoning.
then i took off for the bay, where the usual activity took place. we caught crabs, drank beer, ate aunt penni's incredible baked beans along with poke salad and a slew of other foods, conversed and caught up with each other beneath a cloudy sky. the uncles cooked some of the crabs. we had about six who'd been rejected for consumption after being put to sleep with ice. the cousins and i decided the best thing to do was stage a race -- we each bet on a crab and lined them up on the deck. the first to wake up and crabwalk to the safety of the bay would win.
mine won, after about a two-hour race (go #2!).
then the "kids" (the youngest being kel, who's almost 21) all decided that it would be a good idea to take the makeshift raft (planks of wood on a block of styrofoam, flanked by two barrells.). we wanted to see if it could carry a load of five young adults and as many beers in a plastic bag. as soon as aunt jac shares the pictures she took i'll post some. we tried to paddle to the bay with four little oars and rich kicking in the back... it was an incredible amount of fun. i think our aunts and uncles did this sort of thing when they were our age.
it was a glorious day filled with good conversation and activity. i crashed there so i wouldn't have to make the 3+ hour trek back to austin so late. after midnight yeager and i headed down to the dock to honor the tradition of sitting and conversing, at peace amidst the tranquil water gently slapping the wood.
i climbed into the couch's hideabed next to my cousin karl and a beautiful (growing!) golden retriever pup named tess. she took up most of the bed between us.
she doesn't snore like my jack, but it was comforting to sleep next to the soft furry puppy, surrounded by loved ones, aunts and uncles and cousins -- friends -- tucked into beds in the gently swaying house perched on thick red rounded stilts.
* * *
all i have to say is that uncle pat owes me a dollar.
and i'm grateful that my aunt and uncle keep up the yearly tradition which brings anywhere from 25-50 friends and family together.
then i took off for the bay, where the usual activity took place. we caught crabs, drank beer, ate aunt penni's incredible baked beans along with poke salad and a slew of other foods, conversed and caught up with each other beneath a cloudy sky. the uncles cooked some of the crabs. we had about six who'd been rejected for consumption after being put to sleep with ice. the cousins and i decided the best thing to do was stage a race -- we each bet on a crab and lined them up on the deck. the first to wake up and crabwalk to the safety of the bay would win.
mine won, after about a two-hour race (go #2!).
then the "kids" (the youngest being kel, who's almost 21) all decided that it would be a good idea to take the makeshift raft (planks of wood on a block of styrofoam, flanked by two barrells.). we wanted to see if it could carry a load of five young adults and as many beers in a plastic bag. as soon as aunt jac shares the pictures she took i'll post some. we tried to paddle to the bay with four little oars and rich kicking in the back... it was an incredible amount of fun. i think our aunts and uncles did this sort of thing when they were our age.
it was a glorious day filled with good conversation and activity. i crashed there so i wouldn't have to make the 3+ hour trek back to austin so late. after midnight yeager and i headed down to the dock to honor the tradition of sitting and conversing, at peace amidst the tranquil water gently slapping the wood.
i climbed into the couch's hideabed next to my cousin karl and a beautiful (growing!) golden retriever pup named tess. she took up most of the bed between us.
she doesn't snore like my jack, but it was comforting to sleep next to the soft furry puppy, surrounded by loved ones, aunts and uncles and cousins -- friends -- tucked into beds in the gently swaying house perched on thick red rounded stilts.
* * *
all i have to say is that uncle pat owes me a dollar.
and i'm grateful that my aunt and uncle keep up the yearly tradition which brings anywhere from 25-50 friends and family together.
