Hurricane Ike 2008

Beautiful Old Homes

Some Gave Refuge

Cathedrals drew the flocks inside

Notice the Waterline Mark on the steps of this First Sister

The Second Sister

The Third Sister

These little cottage like small quaint homes were called the Three Sisters. They were damaged but not destroyed from The Storm in September 1900.Some of the other homes were not as fortunate. Many of the glorious trees that were centuries old were snapped like matchsticks.

History repeated itself in September of 2008 when Hurricane Ike came inland, covering most of Galveston Island with a tidal surge. Many of the islands trees were uprooted and thousands were lost. The people of the town wanted to pay tribute to its lost beautiful canopy. Many decided to morph symbols of the destruction into rejuvenation.

Three artists were hired individually and by the local tree conservancy to create whimsical sculptures from some of the remaining pieces of the trees. Although many are on private property, a self guided walking tour as well as a private tour company using a solar powered bus is available to take interested parties around.

The Island Totem Pole was privately commissioned. The Case family of Michigan represents everything the family loved about Galveston.

This tree has 17 different birds carved in it as well as smaller animals and plants on the bottom of the trunk

This is a carving of the figurehead from the Tallship Elissa moored in Galveston’s Harbor.

All decked out and nowhere to go. This Great Dane is carved in the yard of a family that had this dog. It’s trunk had grown around the fence so it’s paws appear to be gripping the fence.. He might be waiting for the Marci Gras Parade to go by.

Two Crested Herron. The gardens were amazing.

This little froggy got painted. Personally I liked the natural ones, but some were showing weather and perhaps the paint helped preserve them.

The Geisha was carved because of the homeowners love of the Orient. She had made many trips to Japan. The statue is facing the direction you would go if you were traveling to Japan.

King Vidor, was one of the directors of “The Wizard of Oz”. He was born in one of the bedrooms of this property.

This is a sweet yellow lab.

This elaborate piece is called Winnie. It is a grandmother reading to her two little granddaughters. The Adoue Family donated the money for this project and placed it in a neighborhood park in her honor. There is the butterfly chair next to it. 

The backside of the tree.

This huge Japanese Yew was only dead on the front. This creative family carved hibiscus flowers, sea shells and sand dollars.

The angel is holding a bunny and watches over an owl, butterfly and bird. They are placed inside a back yard and I couldn’t see them all. It was another spectacular garden.

The last one on the walking tour was of a Pelican holding a fish in its mouth. I loved them all but there were too many to put in the blog. I didn’t want bore you. 

Although there were many scattered mostly in the historic district, many are located around the town. These sculptures represent only a small percentage of the great trees lost in the storm. The Tree Conservancy, the Galveston Tree Committee and hundreds of dedicated residents wanted to ensure 100 percent of the Iked wood be kept out of landfills and used for recycling projects. More than 100 tons of the trees wood was donated to restore America’s only remaining whaling ship. 200 tons of the wood went to Malaga, Spain to be used in the completion of a full scale replica of the Brig Galveston. Local lumberyards took tons to mill and dry for building projects. Several galleries in the area sell small pieces, like bowls, plates and vases crafted from the wood.

This was a delightful day. 

After all that walking we found the local micro brewery.

Right off the water, and delish brews

The Brew Room

Our new friend. He Takes the ferry to the island, it takes about hour to get here.

The bathroom stall wells are filled with different grains used in the different beers. Very clever.

Interesting sinks

And for the boys. 

After spending some time here we returned to our campground. The weather was still overcast and drizzly. The young man at the bar who was the owner and brewmaster was hoping the weather would clear for the weekend (two days away) because it was the last weekend of Marci Gras. Plenty of parades and festivities, and the weather could really keep people away. Drat!

One more day for us here before we move on down to Corpus Christie. 

What future pop star earned $50.00 a game as a “Laker Girl”?

That’s all for now. 

God Bless America!