Galveston streetwalker

That would be me. (Had you fooled, didn’t I, with the raggedy old blue work shirt, denim pedal pushers [Google it, young'uns], crew socks, and cheap Target athletic shoes? Ha!)

Trube House with corner entrance

Trube House with corner entrance

But it’s not the tricks I’m interested in; it’s the Trube.

And that would be Trube as in Trube House, at 1627 Sealy Avenue, that glorious Gothic Revival built by Alfred Muller in 1890 for John Clement Trube and just one among the many countless architectural treasures that abound throughout Galveston.

They are everywhere, grand and modest, restored and disintegrating, fanciful and plain. These homes fascinate me endlessly and make walking the streets of this sublimely interesting old burg one of my very favorite things to do. Best to just leave the car at home. There’s simply no better way to take in these amazing sights than via a nice slow stroll on foot, so you can stop, and gaze, and wonder.

Fanciful Trube!

Fanciful Trube!

In fact, being able to walk the main streets and byways of old Galveston unmolested as a way to take in the sights may well be one of the bigger perks to having a dog.

When I’m standing out in front of someone’s tidy old home for minutes on end ogling its intricate Victorian facade, so far no owner has made a mad dash to the phone to dial 911 and report a weirdo stalker in denim pedal pushers. Apparently, holding one end of a dog leash with an actual dog on the other end seems to make all the difference. What a trick!

Trick? Guess that brings us back full circle…


Is somebody going to fix this ugly box or what?

Speaking for all civic-minded Galvestonians (and who better than me, I ask you), I demand an answer forthwith on the resolution of this blight upon our seawall.

Flagging ship

Flagging ship

Or, put another way, where’s the money, Fertitta?

I’ve not seen a single article in the paper about this issue since the last one months ago stating that Mr. Fertitta was going to roll his considerable capital resources into fixing up this listing old hulk, turning the entire pier into a quasi-amusement park (as is his P.T. Barnum wont), and in general removing an ugly reminder of a storm everybody would like to forget. Great idea (I was going to say “capital idea” but that would have been too punnish). Heck, if I had the cash, I’d do it myself.

Now, speaking of the newspaper, it would certainly help me to stay current on the latest developments in this matter if I actually bothered to read the thing, which I don’t. Read the rest of this entry »