Galveston

Tommy and Emma

It is one of my favorite places to go, especially in the winter, spring, and summer.  After the summer, I am on to other things, but a beach in the dead of winter is...well, melancholy and thought provoking.  Shops are closed, the beaches - empty, and the fares are at their lowest in case you want to stay a few days.
Galveston is full of things to do but I usually run on the off beaten paths of places I visit.  It's those places that have character and a flavor for what the heartbeat of a town really is.

The twins

There are different beaches - East Beach, Stewart Beach, the one at Moody Gardens, and the one that backs up to the Seawall, and then there are the ones west of town.  I prefer West Beach, down near where Galveston State Park is.  Notice I said "near".  There are pocket parks with bathrooms and snack bars, but I like the free beach that you can just drive on and park your car, put your blanket out and spend the day.  Simple.  My grandkids like to feed the seagulls.  They are always ready to eat crackers, chips, bread, or almost anything you toss up into the air at them - (the birds, not the grandkids:)  We usually do this AFTER we have had our lunch so as to not add any of their mess to our mess on the blanket...if you know what I mean.
Having gone there some in my teenage years, my first memories are of hamburger joints and live music at Stewart Beach.  It was the 60's.  Surfing was big - and still is, actually - even in Galveston waters...but not many big waves.
I took my kids at least 20 times a summer when they were little.  That first sunburn soon gave way to some very brown skin.  We loved the ocean.

Our favorite thing to do was hunt for sharks' teeth.  Yes, there are sharks in them there waters, and there are teeth in them there sharks and they lose them and eventually they make it to shore.  I have picked up over 600 of them and keep them in a jar.  Most are teeny tiny, but some are noteworthy, if I do say so myself.  You would think they would be white, but actually they are dark....guess it depends on the type of shark.  I have a healthy respect for the ocean and all that is in it.  The fact that we can't see what is down there is thrilling and scary to me...like the imaginary boogie man in the closet or under the bed.
In the early 90's, I stepped on a stingray and he barbed me.  (Guess I deserved it.)  My leg went numb in minutes and it was several years before I would set my big toe in the water again.  Now I only get in up to my knees and even then I shuffle my feet.  Stingrays will move if you come up on one like that.
Tommy and I honeymooned at the Flagship Hotel that was out over the water on a pier.  It was quite a big deal back then at 20 bucks a night.  Isn't that a hoot?  It's recently been replaced by Pleasure Pier, looking much like Kemah with many rides and games, and there is a ten dollar fee just to enter.
Glen Campbell sang a song about Galveston long ago.  That's the Galveston I like best.  It was rough around the edges,  floats were allowed in the water,  it didn't cost to park on the Seawall (this is coming soon I am told), and it was affordable.  Progress is usually in the money business and better times are just in memories.

Still, I love it.  I try to look past all the 'wonderful' redo's of the island and see the old houses with shuttered windows, the oleanders that seem to always be in bloom, and all the streets with names of letters and numbers.  It's still there, that old Galveston.  Hurricanes have had their way in bringing about many of the changes, knocking down Murdoch's Bath House and damaging the Flagship pier, but you can't take away the smell of salt water, the cries of the seagulls, and the rarely ever blue waters of the bay....all the best parts are still there.  Go find them.