Mannish mermaid?

October 19th, 2010 Posted in Recovery Galvez, Tour Galvez, Weather Galvez
No Comments
Mer-man?

Mer-man?

I’m thinking so. Or is it just me?

Okay, let me back up a second.

The home is gorgeous; the garden, colorful and tidy; and the intent to memorialize a giant, old, cherished live oak tree, lost to the winds and waters of Hurricane Ike, by carving its remains into a lasting work of artistic expression, more than commendable.

Close-up

Close-up

I am empathetic to the nth degree.

But the sculpture springing forth from this hulk of a dead tree trunk? Uh, seriously odd.

First, let’s cut right to the chase. Take a gander at this gal’s face—is this really a woman? And would you let your teenage son date her, even without the fin? Gosh, I’m thinking not.

Or is it just me? Read the rest of this entry »

, , ,
Read More

The Galveston Pleasure Pier returns!

October 6th, 2010 Posted in Heydey Galvez, Party Hearty Galvez, Recovery Galvez
No Comments
Galveston's flagship eyesore

Galveston's flagship eyesore

Anyone who knows me even a smidgen has got to know, often painfully if I’m on a rant, that I am an architectural preservationist of the first order.

When it comes to old buildings, I teeter on the brink of fanaticism, a hard admission for me to make, since I count myself among those civilized folk of all stripes who rank fanatics of any skew way down there on the list with, well, bad and dangerous people.

And so you might find it odd, then, that I should be thrilled, giddy even, to learn today that the old 1960s-vintage Flagship Hotel, mortally wounded by Ike two years ago but even before that on a moldy downward spiral, will at last be razed, not refurbished as earlier planned. Read the rest of this entry »

, ,
Read More

Go Fish, Galvez!

September 3rd, 2010 Posted in Recovery Galvez, Sportfish Galvez
No Comments
New 61st Street fishing pier

New 61st Street fishing pier

Old 61st Street fishing pier

Old 61st Street fishing pier

Time to bait your hook, load up the cooler, and head on over to the brand new 61st Street fishing pier—hooray!

At last, the long-awaited and welcome replacement for that lovable old, fun-and-funky fishing pier at the end of 61st that was dashed to the depths by Ike almost exactly two years ago.

While I dearly miss the historic original, its reincarnation measures up pretty darned well, even in the fun-and-funky department. Excellent job, folks!

I took this great shot of the old fishing pier on a trip down to the island in March of 2008, back when I was still living up in Washington state.

I was down here on a mission then, to take a read on the lay of the land (flat), the smell of the air (salty), and the prospects of finding just the right old Craftsman house that would fit me like a comfy old shoe and cast the swing vote on my decision to move here (bingo!).

That was the spring of ’08, and just a scant six months later, Hurricane Ike blew in and sucker-punched this grand old dame, changing her landscape, if not forever, certainly for awhile. In the process, Ike erased the 61st Street pier Read the rest of this entry »

, , ,
Read More
Older Entries
Newer Entries