Amazing time in Galveston and all ready for LetterMo 2016!

I got home from Galveston a few hours ago and man, am I tired!

Unfortunately, my computer wouldn't cooperate with the Wi-Fi where I stayed so I wasn't able to post an entry or share any photos until now. Other computers there functioned but mine simply wouldn't. Go figure!

Anyway, I'm home and resting this evening. I broke a couple of toes on my first morning there and that really slowed me down so now I'm resting my very bruised and pained foot in preparation for work. I go back Wednesday and plan to do as little as possible until then. Well, not quite but close. I'll do some grocery shopping and cooking for the week tomorrow and will probably spend time with my mother but that's about it. The vacation was a working one so although I did a few fun things there was only one piece of mail sent out (a birthday card to my sister) and each evening ended with me collapsing in exhaustion. I got little rest.

So, here are some pictures from the trip!

This was one of my first glimpses of the water as we drove down Seawall Blvd. The day was lovely - 70 degrees and almost cloudless. Twenty five years is just too long to go without seeing this and thanks to my sister now owning a home there, I won't have to again wait so long.

I was very pleased to see the 1900 Storm Memorial on Seawall Blvd. It was installed in 2000 and is a touching bronze sculpture by David W. Moore.

1900 storm memorial front

1900 storm memorial back

1900 storm memorial plaque

Galveston Island is not the island I remember. After the devastation of Hurricane Ike, the population is almost ten thousand lower (many people left and never returned), a lot of landmarks are gone and new ones are in place, and in middle class neighborhoods stand ramshackle houses that have definitely seen better days and are tagged for destruction. It's as though, with few exceptions, class in regard to housing has disappeared. I think that's a good thing but for someone whose last glimpse of the island was twenty five years ago, it's a very strange thing.

My sister's house is in a neighborhood that saw quite a bit of devastation. Her home withstood the storm of 1900 and Ike so it must be a sturdy piece of construction but some of the surrounding structures didn't fare so well. Directly across the street from hers is a house that's boarded up and destined to be torn down at some point.

The above is the wonderful wooden deck on the back of her house. There's seating for 20 to 25 people and the deck is surrounded by stunning vegetation.

Just a couple of flowers by the deck

We drove down Ball Avenue where some of the loveliest houses I've ever seen are. Many were dressed for Mardi Gras.

 The blue line on the steps indicate the water level during Hurricane Ike. 

One of the things on my list to see and do was the tree sculptures. We found several and they didn't disappoint me. What a beautiful thing to do with something that would normally be hauled to the landfill.

 

One of my favorite tree statues. 

Cute squirrel tree statue

We drove to the seawall every day, sometimes parking just to watch the loveliness of Mother Nature for a few minutes. The above photo was taken on a day when a storm appeared to be rolling in. The storm never developed but we did get a bit of rain and a few minutes of high wind.

Most of our time was spent finishing the rental season preparation of the house but we ate some great food at Nick's and Shrimp 'N Stuff. We also went to the Rosenberg Library, which is truly amazing if you're a history buff. We didn't get around to a couple of things on my list but I'll go back soon for a real vacation and will hopefully have time and energy for those things.

For any of you who might be interested in renting a place on Galveston Island, check out Connie's house. She's listed on Airbnb, TripAdvisor and some other sites. You can rent the downstairs unit, the upstairs unit, or both if you have a larger group of people. 

Oh, I found some neat postcards while I was on the island. They depict the Ursuline Academy of Galveston, a parochial school in operation from 1854 to 1961. I got 6 of the cards and will use a couple of them during LetterMo. Speaking of that, I'm ready to roll!

Lastly, I leave you with a photo of my sister's house, decorated for Mardi Gras!