an exploration below the surface…
So lets compare and contrast, shall we?
Here we are, just 9 days ago, having just finished packing our entire worldly possessions into our Suburban and a 4X8 trailer (200 cu ft, I crunched the numbers). Please take special note of the dingy on top of the Suburban (not shown is the sweat from the 80° F/90% humidity day):
Click below for our current reality…
Since we left Rockport, we’ve moseyed up the middle of America, visiting family along the way. A stop in Austin to visit Miranda, and then on to Dallas where we saw my brother Jim and nephew Thomas…
… and an overnight stay with Kate’s Uncle Charlie and Aunt JoAnne-
From there we set the cruise control and moseyed on some more. We’re keeping the speed low ‘cuz of the small trailer we’re towing, so it’s just a matter of keeping the rig between the lines as the states roll under our wheels.
If you’re gonna leave Texas…
This is a good time of year to do it…
I don’t have the words…
I think I’ll just let this fellow sing it for us…
(This is a picture heavy post)
First off, you have to understand that a Shrimp Boil is a big deal to us- Shrimp Boils have figured into our lives at many celebratory points- Kate’s and my Wedding, many parties on the dock here in Fulton, we even flew our pots and spices up to Wyoming to help celebrate Larry’s 80th birthday a few years ago. That experience ALMOST got us into a side business of catering Shrimp Boils for paying customers at their site; we would pack up our supplies and bring the party to them. The business model did not pan out, but we got a GREAT logo from our friend Addison Billingsley; I am most sorry that it didn’t work out because I would have loved to pass cards around with this logo:
So it would only make sense to commemorate our leaving Rockport for our new adventures, along with John & Suzanne celebrating the completion of their unplanned remodel due to Harvey, AND the relocation of one G. Bradbury Catlow to Rockport to take on a new role, with a Shrimp Boil for all our many friends.
See below for more pics…
So, right now, I’m listening to Mexican radio. It’s coming from across the harbor from oystermen who have finished their weeks work and are partying. I’m gonna miss that. (not gonna miss so much them firing up their engines at 5 am to head out to the oyster grounds)
Gonna miss sitting in the cockpit of our boat and watching the sunset (although, I’m sure we will do the same where ever we are). But I miss my neighbor Steve, who would sit on the bridge deck of his wooden trawler, sucking down Bud Lites, and watching the sun go down. His quote?- “Y’know, if you look over there at those palm trees and squint yer eyes just right, you could be in Hawaii, or the Bahamas, or Tahiti.” He was right. (his boat was lost in Harvey- He was a good neighbor and I miss him).
Sugar Shack, the local dive bar, has live music on weekends. We can hear it from our boat. God help me, I’m actually going to miss that awful Journey cover band that would play “Don’t Stop Believing” AT LEAST three times a night whenever they played.
Gonna miss Taquitos el Guero- best taco truck I’ve ever been to. Besides the fact that the tacos are awesome, it’s always nice to be known as a regular and treated like a good friend. Gonna miss that.
I’m gonna miss Kimmie’s Fine Foods- it’s a meeting place for like-minded friends. And she’s got food now too- gonna miss that.
Rockport-Fulton is a small town. I’m gonna miss going into the local bank branch and having the cute redhead teller greet me by my first name.
Roseate Spoonbills. Brown Pelicans. Great Blue Herons. White Egrets. Whistling Ducks. Ospreys.
Sometimes dolphins would come into the harbor and swim around our boat. A few times they were actually hunting fish for dinner- I once saw them tossing a fish into the air before they chowed down on it- they were actually playing with their food! That was something to see.
Castaways Thrift Store.
Shrimp ‘n’ Grits at Cheryl’s
Walking 100 paces across the parking lot to Charlotte Plummer’s for a really good bowl of gumbo (a rare and precious thing!) And Leticia, the absolutely delightful Spanish waitress there. I could listen to her talk in that amazing accent for hours…
Actually, it’s all about the people. If I started listing all the people I’m gonna miss, I’d never finish this post. Of all the things I’ll miss, it’s the people I’ll miss the most. We have made SO many good friends here…
I have to end this now as my eyes are starting to leak…
We’re really starting to feel it now- in just a few weeks we’ll be leaving our home of the past five years and heading out into a new life. We’ve been Continue reading “Countdown Continues…”
It’s been a hectic few weeks- juggling the demands of daily living, working for a wage (looking at you sweet Kate), finishing up projects on “O Be Joyful”, and sorting through the massive piles of crap we have been hanging on to for far too long. We’ve both been stressing in a big way about it, feeling the impending deadline
Kayla and Andy just left Fulton with a truckload of stuff- tools, family memories, etc. They helped us clear out a HUGE part of our storage unit backlog- and all of a sudden, it actually seems like we actually might pull off this ridiculous plan to get rid of everything and sail away!
Stay tuned!
So, where to start?
My vision for this blog is as an open letter to all our friends, family, etc., so as to keep you all updated Continue reading “In The Beginning…”