Tree Sculpture Tour in Galveston

See the blue ceiling?

We drove into Galveston, about a half hour drive or less. We parked next to the Visitor's Center which is located in a HUGE mansion called Ashton Villa. It's just a sample of the amazing architecture that you will find among the many side streets and main street of Galveston. We brought our bikes with us to bike around the streets and to find a series of tree sculptures. This top photo shows the ceilings painted aqua. We've seen this in Mackinac Island houses, in Key West houses, and other Florida locations and now here in Texas. The idea is that bugs, mosquitoes and flies fly upward thinking it's the sky. (!) With the number of houses in different locations doing this, maybe there is something to it, I don't know. It's pretty, but I wouldn't think this would keep the bugs away from you on a summer evening!

Hurricane Ike damage

On September 13, 2008, Hurricane Ike hit the Galveston, covering most of the area in a tidal surge. Many beautiful old trees were uprooted. The salty water killed many others. The residents took lemons and made lemonade. The city's tree canopy is gone, but whimsical sculptures from the huge old oaks have been commissioned and carved. They are tucked away in gardens and yards. There are 19 of them so far, and more are coming. We managed to bike around, with Eldy navigating the map and finding them for me, and me finding more houses than sculptures to photograph. Eldy would be peddling merrily along, and all of sudden, no Sparky anywhere to be seen! I had slipped along to a side street to gawk and photograph some of the amazing houses. Many of them are being remodeled, repainted, and refurbished to the elegant style they were before the hurricane waters and winds damaged them. Seeing the houses was amazing! I would forget that I was biking on the street and stop to take a photo in the middle of the street. Heck, never mind the cars coming up behind me! I snapped 'em fast!  Take a look at these....

This was a GREAT bike ride, about a little over a mile...the best way to see all these homes and sculptures without worrying about parking, or getting off the street to take photos. Well, ok, you better be more careful than I was! The weather was perfect, in the mid sixties.....we had a little map on a brochure that led us to the different locations of the sculptures....a wonderful way to spend the day today...(Where are all those sculptures photos you took? says E.) Well, they didn't turn out as nicely as the houses did, hon!

A couple of people have asked about the parrots..they are wild here and hang out..they just come to the feeders if you put regular wild bird seed out for them! But the blackbirds come, too, by the bazillions, so I'm just going to let my neighbor continue to feed them and we get to enjoy them. I tend to cringe a little when the hordes of blackbirds fly over. It's just a matter of time until I get doodooed on. I told Eldy to wear a ball cap when he sits outside. I did put out a niger seed sock feeder (known to attract goldfinches) to see what would come to my feeder by the palm tree, but so far, nobirdy is checking it out that we can see (groan!)....  see you tomorrow at the Winterfest festival in Pearland, TX!