I know homies, I have seriously neglected this blog lately. Or at least, I feel like I have. I've been running all over the place, between taking Shirikins to the airport this morning at 4 AM and spending an hour in the grocery store, I'm kinda tired.

But I thought I'd say hey and give a quick recap.

Le Beach was good times, despite whatever you Bostonians think about it. Imagine -- 80 degrees and sun. On Thanksgiving. I know. Even us Texans were a little surprised (I was prepared for a rainy, cool weekend staring at the ocean). While I never got in the water -- I had enough swimming in the ocean over Labor Day, thankyouverymuch -- the rest of the crew did. I thought I'd put some pictures up from Le Beach that I took.

Everyone seemed to like this picture of the gulls over head. They were hovering around all
weekend long -- like Fredericks (or Fredwicks or Franklins) are known to do. It didn't help that Man Shac was surreptitiously feeding them tortilla chips.

We had quite the time at the beach -- especially on Saturday when my Aunt noticed a ball bobbing on the waves. She bravely treaded out toward the ball and started dragging it toward the shore. We could tell from a distance that it was attached to something, but we lounged in our chairs until she dragged onto the shore a cage full of blue crabs! At that point, half of the population of the beach came over. Turns out it was a stray crab trap ("Dead or alive...Deadliest Catch!"). When she found it, a turtle was attached to the back, feeding on the crabs but by the time she got to shore it had swam away. One of the crabs was dead and there was the remainder of a shell (probably the turtle's breakfast) but we sent the other crabs that were alive off into the sea. It was most definitely their lucky day! I took a picture of the dead one, which must have barely made it. We left the trap on the beach (and it was mysteriously gone on Sunday apparently). I took a picture of it later in the day as the sun was setting, since it seemed poised so beautifully across the shore.



My favorite part of the Thanksgiving holiday was probably when I posed the question (among a crowd of seven): "Do you think the world is getting better or worse, yes or no?" Obviously, there are many different answers and many different ways to justify one's response. It was fun to debate with everyone since we were all of very differing opinions, in terms of what we consider making the world "better" or what we consider making the world "worse." I encourage anyone out there to approach this round-table discussion on a holiday when you're among people who love you so you can't piss them off too much. Just see what they say. It was also kind of nice because we had the "wild cards" which were my aunt and uncle's friends, who obviously could be pissed off because they don't know me at all -- but they weren't. I think we all enjoyed the discussion and it brought about some interesting viewpoints other than the ones that my mom and I argue back and forth regularly.



My mom, above left, and my aunt, above right, enjoying the beach. For them going to the beach is a sort of migration back into their childhood and years past when my cousins and sister and I were children. The go to the beach like one would go to a concert -- with an enthusiasm that has them walking on the beach picking up olive shells at 8:30 AM and not heading back to the house until the sun begins to dip behind the horizon. Both my mom and my aunt are talented artists, my aunt being a professor of art at a university and my mom working in design. So they spend their days staring at the sea and composing small portraits and landscapes. I admire their ability to let themselves drift into a sort of creative trance. While I can draw, I certainly am not drawn to it (pun intended) like my mom, aunt -- even my sister.



My uncle, top left, and cousin Man Shac, top right. My uncle is a consummate cattle rancher in South Texas who has been one of the few people in my artistically-motivated family that I have been able to have a discussion regarding protein percentages in different types of hay and grain, the pros and cons surrounding gooseneck trailers versus bumper pulls, and also the current hay and grain price hike due to gas prices and a terrible, once in a lifetime drought that is currently plaguing Texas and other southern states. Man Shac and I have always been close, as cousins go, however I have been able to enjoy much more of his company since he moved to Austin to go to UT. I can't tell you how many times I have been walking down 6th or 4th Street and suddenly spied Man Shac, only to start screaming across the street and have him completely not hear me -- leaving me to look like the crazy person I am.

On Saturday at dusk we headed over to the bird center where I got some pretty shots before the battery died on my camera. There were these disgusting water rats called "nutrias" (never heard of them -- google that and have a good shudder) swimming around and burrowing in reeds, juxtaposed by gorgeous, swan-like white pelicans that cruised through the water in a synchronized feeding frenzy. The weather was perfect and it was a great sunset -- despite the creep-factor of the nutrias, it was sublime.





My mom, cringing at the sight of a nutria, and some white pelicans moving through the water.

Our outing down to the coast was brief but very pleasant. The weather couldn't have been better -- the evenings were cool so that we sleep with the windows open, but the days were warm enough to swim.

When I returned on Sunday, my second Thanksgiving treat was that Shirikins had come home. Excitement abounds! After a brief concern that Chubby Charles had flown the coop (she really had just been trapped in M's room...again...but this time she didn't crap on the bed so that was a "phew!" moment for me), I was ready to meet up with Shirikins. She got a ride down to the Ranch so that she could spend the night with me and I could be the lucky soul who got to get up at 4 AM to drive her to the airport. Luckily I live about 15 minutes from the airport when there's no traffic, so I was back by about 4:45 and slept until 7:30.
We took our requisite "engagement photo" that we are prone to taking, on the infamous Green Chair this time (rather than in the bluebonnets). After discussing it, we decided Shirikins definitely looks like the wife since she's leaning into me as if I'm the protectorate, and I'm sort of hovering over her. It needs some cropping but we think it'll look great in the paper.
Then, we went down to Gingerman, a local beer bar on 4th and Guadalupe, to meet up with some other people who were in town or wanted to see Shirikins (I couldn't just keep her to myself). We met up with The Artist, looking rather svelte, and Paul the bartender that Shirikins collected many years ago. The Artist and Shirikins spent a few hours it seemed talking about the ways of boys...for once I had nothing at all to say. So I sat there and contemplated how quickly I could exit if there was a fire (my favorite bar activity). At 9:30 PM on a Sunday night, it would not have been hard.


Somehow their discussion of men led to the photo on the left above -- at this point my back was hurting from sitting so I was standing on the side by the table and Shirikins was sitting sideways after letting me out. I will leave it to you all to speculate as to what is going on in this. I really like the photo on the right -- Shirkins looking as though she's about to strangle someone and The Artist looking back in doubtful agreement.

It was great times, all in all. There's a hilarious event that also happened at the Amy's but I really don't have time to explain but just know it involved Shirikins and I spending 30 minutes hysterically laughing, trying to get a 50-year old photo booth to work, then having the employee come chunk quarters into it for another 20 minutes, with KT Tunstall blaring in the background the whole time. And yes: I got it on video.

Once I got over being sick and got over feeling sorry for myself, I felt like I had a lot to be thankful for this year. I got to see great family and friends. Despite my beliefs that the world is trending toward the worse, how lucky am I that I can lounge on a beach all weekend and then spend an evening having a couple of beers with friends? I just wish that we could all be so fortunate.

And now...sleep.