Go Fish Galvez

That time of year again and, once again, I’ll be missing it!

Well, not all of it. Friday was the official kickoff for this year’s festivities, with the first of the parties and parades scheduled for Friday and Saturday, so yesterday Tippy and I leashed up and headed over to the seawall for our mid-morning walk, timing it just so we could hopefully catch a little bit of one of the opening-weekend parades down Seawall Boulevard.

The weather could not have been more perfect—it was an absolutely gorgeous morning, with searingly blue skies and mild temperatures that brought the people out in droves. And yes, they were everywhere, dressed in all their Mardi Gras finery and dripping in multicolored beads no doubt collected along the Strand the night before.

It also turned out to be great exposure for my pup-in-training in her ongoing socialization, to be immersed in all manner of loud noises, funny hats, screaming kids, and little lapdogs out for a day in the sunshine.

(By the way, you know you’re in Texas when you walk through a crowd of people with a pit bull in tow and instead of causing panic in the streets, with people screaming and frantically running for their lives, folks actually bend down, smile and say, “Oh, what a pretty doggy! Is she a pit bull? Can my kids pet her?” Gotta love it.)

Tip and I hung out at the seawall for about half an hour or so but apparently the parade was slow getting started so we had to head back home before we saw any actual floats. The people-watching was just as much fun, though, probably even more so than the parade itself would have been. Note to self: Next year, take the camera.

Well, this morning things were quiet once again, in the lull before the crescendo to next weekend’s final hurrah, so Tippy and I made another pilgrimage over to the seawall to check out the carnage from last night’s blast. And on this trip we made out like regular bandits (or, with due homage to Jean Lafitte’s old stomping grounds, would that be pirates)?

Apparently, as the party got heartier last evening, the revelers became more focused on not tipping over their cocktails and less so on hanging onto their hard-won jewels, so now my home office sparkles with the twinkling magic of a couple handfuls of colorful Mardi Gras necklaces. I didn’t make the party but I came away with a few treasures nonetheless!

So the celebration in Galveston continues through Fat Tuesday on February 16, with all the biggest balls and parties, bead-tossing parades and more scheduled for next weekend, and that’s the part I’ll miss. As luck, or poor planning, would have it, I’ll be out of town when the big bash winds up so, for the most part, I’ll miss Mardi Gras Galveston once again this year.

But hey, I live in this old burg now so there’s always 2011 to look forward to. And I’ve already started inviting my guests!