You know you live on the Gulf Coast when …

Yummy fresh tangerine!

Yummy fresh tangerine!

A friend from work brings you a piece of fresh fruit from a tree in his back yard…

And the fruit is a tangerine…

And the month is January.

Ah.

Now, that’s not to say that we don’t have a winter here on the island. Of course, we do.

It’s just that the typical “winter blast” in Galveston (think “temperate marine climate”) lasts only about two months, on average, and the odd chance of snow (SNOW?!) in this town would be so utterly remarkable as to set off panicked reports of an alien invasion (evil snowy Marfa lights?) and thus maybe even inspire a new Will Smith movie. Read the rest of this entry »

Poop Deck!

Poop Deck!

Poop Deck!

One of the precious handful of seawall relics that have somehow managed to survive the wrecking ball (not to mention record storm surges and hurricane-force winds).

I can still remember the old Poop Deck tavern from many a childhood vacation, as we passed it by strolling along Seawall Boulevard.

And it only took me another thirty-five years and a relocation to Seattle, Washington to finally figure out what a "poop deck" actually is. (You can imagine my working definition in all those intervening years.) I’m a quick study, clearly. Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome 2011!