Glaveston Island

I like the Ocean. The closest Ocean access to Houston is Galveston Island. I can make it from my home to the Galveston in less than an hour. Sometimes I'll zip down there and go for a walkabout. I took theses photos while walking around Galveston yesterday.

Just a little history.... Cabeza De Vaca was shipwrecked on Galveston in 1528 and thats where he began his exploration down to Mexico as we know it. At that time the only inhabitants were indians. Around 1816 pirates started living on the Island. Jean Lafitte was the ring leader until the 1820's when the US Navy pushed him out. Apparently Jean left some buried treasure, also known as Booty, on the Island that's never been found. Around the mid 1830's Galveston became an official city and things took off. By the late 1800's over 35,000 people lived on the Island. Galveston became one of the largest ports for cotton and the center of Texas commerce. In 1900 the deadliest Hurricane in United States history rolled right over the Island killing between 6,000 and 8,000 people. Most of the island was completely destroyed. During the early 1900's the city's grade was raised 17 feet and a sea wall was built to prevent such a catastrophe in the future. Slowly Galveston rebuilt....

I guess I have some roots in Galveston. My mother lived there as a little girl growing up in the 1940's while her father worked at the Todd Shipyard dry docks.... Galveston has always been a popular vacation spot for Texans but it seems to be getting more popular. More and more cruises depart out of Galveston and developers and investors keep cleaning things up. The beaches are a lot nicer than they use to be. Galveston is no Hawaii but it does posses its own character and charm... I quite like it there....