What started out to be a family jaunt with the grandbabies to try out “The Swan” at the “dam lake” (Mansfield Dam), quickly became a neighborhood event.  Word spread quickly that the Wilcox clan had acquired another funny floating family member.  When Ivy’s BFF Aria saw the swan in the background as Ivy FaceTimed her for a playdate, there was no hiding it.  Everyone wanted to have a turn on this oversized creature; even Tres’ friend Travis joined in.  It’s a good thing, because we needed a lot of hot air to blow this gargantuan thing up.  Funny thing is, when we made it to the swimming hole the guys “jumped in” while the moms opted for some shore time.  Guess they needed some catch up time:)   Fun was definitely had by all.  It took some creative parental reverse psychology to get the kids (and guys) to come out and dry off.  Lucy’s on the Lake for fried chicken did the trick!  The Swan now resides in the backyard pond, for the time being.

One of the things I love most about my neighbors at Diamond Beach – we’re all big kids at heart.  Many braved the foreboding skies and dire weather forecasts to toss those rubber ducks in the river and see which one, through sheer determination, can reach the bridge first.  Our illustrious HOA Pres James Fuglaar tossed them in and let ’em rip!  As always, I picked the losingest number. Not surprising since I never win anything.  My friend (and fellow resident widow) Laurel won the grand prize; dinner for two at Olympia Grill.  I offered to accompany her if she couldn’t find a “date”.  Haven’t heard back on that one:) We moved on to a “limbo” contest.  Our one man band bravely attempted a rendition of Chubby Checker’s Limbo Rock while the kids tried valiantly to make it under the lowest pole.  Lots of arguing over the “limbo” rules brought a final winner, who was underwhelmed by his “dreamcatcher” prize.  He probably would have argued less had he known about the “grand” prize.  The food was too good, as everyone brought their “covered dish” specialty.  To me a successful party is one where no one really wants to leave.  Gauging by the number of neighbors who stayed around after the music died, this one was a rousing success.

Just one of so many reasons to love Galveston, the artist community is amazingly talented and so frequently open to the public free of charge.  I’m proud of our city for it’s diversity of talent, community, and the constant celebration of it week in and week out.  There is rarely the weekend when something isn’t planned, and well worth the trip to investigate.  Of Dickens on the Strand, Biketoberfest, Mardi Gras, Art Walk, Ohana Dog Surf and just shopping The Strand, my favorites are always on the beach.  Fortunately Ika and Matt came down for this one; it was their first sandcastle competition.  They took lots of pics, and enjoyed the outdoor gallery until the rains came.  No problem.  We turned the a/c on in the car and by the time we parked at The Strand, we were dry enough.  My favorite ending to the day was at La Kings Confectioners, where you can purchase any specimen of sweetness that you can imagine.  For this, Ika gave Matt a big hug:)

Over half a century ago Robert and I lay on the banks of Lake Travis near Mansfield Dam dreaming of our future.  Our dreams included finishing college, getting married, buying a boat and having children, all in that order.  Years later, after more hard work than I care to remember, and lots of prayer, all of our dreams were fulfilled (and even some we didn’t think of:)  Who would have ever dreamed we would have two of the most beautiful grandchildren living within sight of that dam?  The kids invited me back to house sit (and pet sit) while they traveled to Tokyo and California.  While some might see this as a chore, I couldn’t wait!  Austin became my vacation spot. New paddle board in hand, I hit the water.  First there was Lady Bird Lake with amazing views of downtown Austin, then on to Lake Austin just below the dam in my backyard, and finally back to the Lake Travis marina where Robert and I once kept the sailboat.  It is even more beautiful than I remembered.  Austin air is dry and clean, the water is sparkling greenish-blue and the hills still hold some of the most beautiful lakefront houses.  As much as this salt water soul loves the beach, this time of year it feels amazing to dive into that crystal clear, cool lake water.  Today I’m buying a few lottery tickets.  You’ll know if I won, because one of those lake houses will be mine!

The Humane Society event of the year (at least for us dog lovers:) involves salt water souls of all shapes and sizes.  Blue-green water, cloud covered skies complete with a water spout, and nice surf made it a perfect day for all.  Lots of dogs with their kids in tow hit the surf this morning in the shadow of Pleasure Pier.  Most of the dogs were rescued from the Humane Society of Galveston, and they did us proud.  As you can see, it’s more about the heart than athletic ability.  The tiniest chihuahuas had the easiest time; it was almost unfair to the bigger dogs.  That surfboard provided a stable ride for the little half-pound pups, while the heavier ones had to finesse it.  Molly, the hands-down favorite cattle dog, took first, providing us with many rides from the second sandbar right on up to the beach.

I ran into my old friend, Trelle, who taught me everything I know about handling the rescues.  She had great advice on the best treatments for my 13 year-old rescue, Maui. I encouraged her to start a “dog diary” blog, and she promised she would very soon.   She is a fount of knowledge when it comes to all things dog-related.

We had charcoal-grilled veggie dogs for us animal lovers, fire crackers (ask me for the recipe), and Rita’s Gelatos donated cherry cola icees for dessert.  It all ended way too soon, can’t wait for next year!

Austin is always a magical city, at least for the Wilcox clan.  Aside from the fact that the most beautiful grandbabies in the world live there, the city itself is a mecca of things to see, things to eat, things to do.  This trip Ika continued to develop her photographic talent, as you can see, while we all had a great time providing her with photo opps.  We discovered Korean food, so exotic, so plentiful and so many choices!  Tres had amassed so many fireworks for the 4th that he couldn’t shoot them all off in one night, so we helped him finish them off.  Then there was the new water park in Leander, built in a rock quarry inside a local state park, so open for public consumption at reasonable cost.  Perfect for toddlers, there were lots of splash pads, water slides of natural stone and shade trees for picnics.  The girls came home exhausted and happy.  It will be a hard trip to top, but we look forward to trying:)

The best part of Ika’s birthday celebration this year was a simple little gathering of family to share some traditions and a wonderful Swedish Princess Cake created by the birthday girl.  Ika’s sister Katarina, husband T, and children Gunnar and Ella came to help “Moster Ika” (Aunt Ika) have a great “fodelsedagen”.  We were having the traditional Fika (Swedish mid-day coffee time) while Ika opened her presents.  I shared stories of my mother, Matt’s grandmother, whose china Ika served from.  Matt had never met my mom, as she passed long before he was born, but I assured them she was smiling on our celebration this day, using her favorite china.  Ika and Katarina told stories of their father’s mother back in Sweden, who evidently loved to take the girls on “shopping sprees” every time they visited.  I thought that was a great tradition, so for Ika’s b~day I will be taking her on a “shop till we drop” trip to get ready for her new job next month as a School Psychologist in Clear Creek ISD.  Gunnar and I played the matador-bull  game while Princess Ella delicately spooned out her “coffee milk” with the ladies.  We did join with the Dickson family and friends for dinner that night, which was wonderful, and they planned a “raft up” boating expedition for July 4th.  Maui and I will be settling in for some downtime before heading for the Galveston fireworks tonight (without Maui’s delicate ears of course:)  Happy Fourth of July America!!

After hearing from Sis Paige about her amazing experiences patrolling the beach for signs of Kemp Ridley Sea Turtles, Connie and I decided to sign up for this worthy volunteer patrol.  Of course, we had signed up late in the season so we didn’t get our pick of routes to patrol.  We soon found out we would be walking, not riding, in a 4-wheel drive gas powered golf cart as Paige is.  Actually our route, round trip from 61st Street to Pleasure Pier, is a bit over 5 miles.  Normally not an overly exhausting walk; however in mid-summer, starting at 10 am, the heat index is hovering somewhere over 100 degrees.  No problem for us, right?  Our neck’s wrapped in Frog Togg neckerchiefs soaked in ice water, and a midway stop at the snow cone truck, we have survived!  We have met some interesting Galvestonians on the way, such as the bird lady who comes every day to keep her seagulls fat and healthy.  Unfortunately, no turtle sign has been found on our route yet, as most of the turtles seem to be coming in to nest in less populated areas.  It does feel good to do our part in helping this endangered turtle, but next year you can be assured we will sign up early, and get one of those fancy golf carts to ride in:)

Well better late than never, Ika and Matt finally had the time for a special trip just a few years after their whirlwind wedding in Aspen.  Poor things barely had time to ski back then because Ika was due back in her Master’s program in early January:)  It does my heart good to see that they chose to tour Germany, our old stomping grounds, with their time off.  Robert and I lived in Weisloch, just 13 km south of Heidelberg during ’70 and ’71.  For those who don’t believe in the power of prayer, Robert was drafted during the ‘Nam War and 99% of the draftees were headed for the war.  I prayed out loud night and day, I swear. Having only been married a matter of months I was not prepared for widowhood so young.  As He is known to do, He answered in a bigger way than I expected; we spent a year and a half in Germany.  Matt and Ika were able to locate our old apartment in Weisloch and sent a picture of it for my memory book.  We were on the third floor overlooking the main street, where we watched parades and sauntered down for a bite of schnitzel on occasion.  The family that owned the building loved Americans and told us in their broken English that they had seen America; they had visited New York once.  We heard that often in Germany, they all thought New York was a great representation of America. We would just smile and nod, not wanting to burst their bubble. New York is so NOT like the America we knew. The people were warm and friendly, the wine and beer were beyond compare, and the country so picturesque.  It was a beautiful time in our lives, and a very special memory.  I have to go back!  On the Bucket List:)