Galveston TX Tree Sculpture Tour

On September 13th, 2008, Hurricane Ike devastated the little town of Galveston, TX. Among the many losses was that of 40,000 trees. Many of the residents were heartbroken over the loss of their beautiful oak trees. If you've ever lived in a town or city that was devastated by a natural disaster, you know how demoralizing the eyesores of the aftermath can be on the human spirit. Galveston Island Tree Conservancy member Donna Leibbert asked the city council to allow chain saw sculptures to be created from the trees.





At first, she was opposed. City council members feared the city could be liable for potential injuries.





Eventually, the city council relented and supported the project. Residents allowed some of the artists to live with them to complete their works and now there are some 26 sculptures dotting the city. If you look closely at some of these photos, you'll see the incredible level of detail accomplished in this artwork.



Each sculpture is unique and the artist tried to envision a sculpture that was inspired by both the shape of the remaining tree stump, and by something that reflected the love of the property owner or paid tribute to something important to the city. There are now approximately 26 sculptures, and the project is not yet completed.



It was very moving to talk to some of the property owners; they seem both humbled by what they lived through and proud of their determination to withstand the assault of Hurricane Ike. There is something defiant about the sculptures: Galveston was not only not beaten by the storm, but has been determined to triumph with something beautiful in its wake.

I'll post more of these endearing sculptures in the days to come.

Road Trip Quiz: Galveston TX

Did I mention to you that there would be a little quiz at the end of this roadtrip?

Well, Here's a few sneak preview questions to test your skills:

1. What is the clue in this photo that you are still on the Great Road Trip with Angela and Doug and Robert & Barb?

2. And what city in the U.S. were we entering now?

(Oh, this is hard!!!! But you can do it!)



And here are a few photos from the window of our hotel, looking out at the ocean. Nothing like entering a city just as a Tropical Storm departs to make for some great Priceline prices!

Still On the Road: Does the Fun Ever Stop? Not in Texas!

And just when you thought I was running out of things to write about on our Grand Texan Roadtrip, I pull out one of our really cool stops!



Oh, I know what some of your are thinking. You are thinking "But. . . but. . . it's just fast food."



Put away those lame thoughts! This is not just ANY fast food! This is



SONIC fast food! The only fast food I lust and dream about during long North Dakota winters! The fast food with HEAT! The fast food that includes jalapeño peppers stuffed with some kind of heart-stopping cream cheese concoction.



Oh, sure, we have your usual array of lame McDonalds and Burger King, but Texans have SONIC, where the food is delivered to your car window by servants (I mean servers) on roller skates! Oh, that I might live to see the day when food is delivered in the depths of winter in North Dakota to me by people on roller skates!

(Nah! Either it would mean global warming had done us all in, big-time, or I'd feel so guilty, I'd have to bundle the young-uns into my car and turn the heater on full blast to thaw them out, and then I'd get arrested for kidnapping popsicle-ified Sonic workers.)

Shiner, Texas

Shiner, TX, has more than just it's brewery to be proud of. I thought the little streets and building were very appealing and it made me think about what it is that makes one little town, with old buildings, look so appealing, where another little town might just look shabby.

Some of us has to do with the maintenance. . . fresh paint, not allowing the city to fall into disrepair. . . .


. . . attention to detail and actually using downtown space for small little enterprises. . .
. . . . a spy, or two, with a camera. . .

. . . . and of course, making sure the town has the wonderful Doug to grace it's space with his presence!

Shiner Texas and Beer Nickels

Once we left rain-drenched Austin Texas, we headed down to Galveston. But every good Road Trip requires random stops and detours for this and that. . . .

. . . .like a brewery tour in Shiner, TX. During the tour, no photos are allowed, in case we are tempted to duplicate in our living rooms, with 23 million dollars worth of equipment, the beer-making process.

But at the end of the tour, you are given 4 nickels to redeem for cups of beer, and you can sample the various varieties.

Fortunately, these are not full-sized glasses, but after finishing two of them, I was more than willing to abandon a 3rd, and pocket the cool, wooden nickel.

The town of Shiner itself is quite picturesque, and I thought this wagon wheel walk would be an ideal spot for portraits.

More of Eagle Mountain Lake, Texas

We floated along on a pontoon, captained by the ever-charming Robert with his ipad navigation, and the beautiful and gracious Barb. We stopped for lunch at The Spot . . .



. . . and were treated to this extraordinary paradise-like view outside of the lake:





You just know what I'm going to be daydreaming about all winter in North Dakota! Poor Dianna! This trip was her idea, and she didn't even get to go on it!

A Little More of the Lake

After we left Forney, we just headed through rain, rain, and more rain to get to rain-drenched Austin, TX.

So, rather than show you shots of rain-sloshed windshields, here's a little flash-back to the lake by Robert and Barb's house.

Look! A haunted castle on the lake (it actually would look haunted, if I used Topaz Adjust's ghostly preset, but I haven't decided yet whether I want to buy the program):



Do I really need to label this "sailboat" because I bet you could figure it out. (You'd catch me if I called it a submarine, right?)



Robert docked the pontoon on the lake at a marina, and we all had lunch at The Spot. Robert uses his ipod to navigate around the lake; I thought it was funny to see another person at The Spot with his ipad being used for lake navigation.

The Fun Never Stops on a Road Trip with Robert & Barb!

Oh, no. . . the fun never stops! Not with hotspots like Forney, TX! Sadly, we weren't there to partake of the festivities during the Jackrabbit Stampede.







Just imagine how Robert might have behaved during such a festival!

Forney, Texas and Doug-in-a-Cage

I love traveling with Robert and Barb, and of course, Doug. They are all perfect "Photo-Walk" companions. Robert and Barb both also search for photo opportunities, and Doug indulges us all.

After the Beer Barn, we headed to Forney, TX, on our way to Austin. The rain gave us a little respite, and we checked out some antique stores in Forney. This one was filled with art reproductions, and (expensive) photo opportunities. It's so much fun to go "shopping" with a camera; you just just click a way at pretty things, and leave your wallet safely tucked away.

Not Doug:



Not Doug:



Definitely not Doug:



Not Doug:



Not Doug:



Not Doug:



At last, Doug-in-a-Cage: *sigh* It's so hard to keep track of husbands these days. . .



But will he sing?

1st Choice: Zoo; 2nd Choice: Beer Barn

If you can't drive through the zoo because of the rain, there's always the drive-through beer barn in Texas!