Texas: Day 2

After a breakfast of biscuits and gravy, my mom took us on a tour of Carthage. She was born not far away in Longview, and lived in Carthage until the middle of second grade when their family relocated to south Louisiana.

My mom and her brothers (1960?): Tommy, Mike, and Tim

My mom also spent her summers in Carthage while growing up, so her memories are rich.

If my family moved to Carthage, they would have to change this sign often, since reproduction is my favorite hobby.

The town square in historic downtown Carthage.

My mom attended this school in kindergarten through second grade. They still have the same playground equipment.

The courthouse and jail are right next to my great-grandparents’ old house. My mom, her siblings, and their cousins used to treat the inside of the courthouse like it was their own personal playground back in the day.

We stopped at Granny and Daddy Joe’s old house. I explained who I was to the guy working there, and asked if I could come in and walk around.

Even after all these years, their house smelled exactly like I remembered it. Most of the rooms are being used as storage now, with the family room the primary bail bonds office. (I have a funny and highly inappropriate story involving this kitchen, but I’ll save that for a future post.)

We drove by three of the houses my mom lived in as a child and heard some more history, then headed back to the lake house for lunch (boudin, hot dogs, potato salad, and my grandmother’s homemade blackberry cobbler).

My thoughtful aunt Pam had gone crazy at the dollar store, much to my boys’ delight. They discovered several new toys waiting for them.

My uncle Mike had a balloon sword fight with Noah and Nathan. Many laughs!

The balloons were for that evening’s birthday party in honor of my grandmother turning 80 and her brother Reed turning 82 in a couple weeks.

The shape of some of the balloons were, uh, interesting.

The back yard overlooking Lake Murvaul was the perfect setting for a party.

My granddaddy spent the better part of the day tending to his BBQ ribs and sausage.

To Lisa and my other vegetarian friends, my apologies if this photo made you puke.

This adorable little guy (girl?) is Short Tail. He/she has been my grandparents’ “pet” for years. They feed him/her a tray of pecans every day. So cute!

Taylor practiced her stretching and dance moves.

Noah tried to show off his ability to do the splits. He’s *almost* there. Ha!

Andy and my granddaddy discussed cooking, fishing, and other manly things.

The party kicked off with toasts to the birthday girl and birthday boy.

We also celebrated Reed and Jimmie’s 60 years of marriage, and my grandparents’ 54 years of marriage.

Happy birthday, Reed and Nell!

We also had cupcakes for Noah, who will turn 3 in a couple weeks.

After cake, half the group stayed in the back yard and chatted, while the other half of the group went fishing off the dock. Some of the group went on a boat ride around the lake, too.

It’s amazing what evening humidity can do for Taylor’s hair. Look at those curls! I’m jealous!