Galveston June 2009 Update

There have been a few questions about whether or not Galveston is "tourist ready" for this summer, so I thought that I would answer them here in a post. The links below are of my previous posts which have pictures for you to look at and my observations from those times.
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http://appelquilling.blogspot.com/2009/04/red-and-turqouise-card-and-galveston.html
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http://appelquilling.blogspot.com/2009/02/febuary-2009-update-on-galveston-texas.html
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The pictures posted in the above posts are from February and April 2009 (scroll down past red card info) and show that there are indeed beaches to play on! Galveston has been busily repairing and bring sand in by the truck loads to make the beaches summer ready. We were down in Galveston about a month and half ago and were on the beach with many other people having fun. There are some places in Galveston that are still in need of repair but a lot of the island is up and running again.
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Rebuilding takes time and the city has done an amazing job of repair. The hotels on the seawall are open with some undergoing renovation and are closed. The Flagship was severely damaged and may not be repaired and is closed. You will have to call the individual hotels/motels for their status. Here is a link to a blog that tells some of the hurdles that Galveston has to face after Ike: http://blogs.chron.com/galveston/2009/03/texas_islanders_hold_out_hope.html
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When we visited the Strand there were many business rebuilding and restocking and would soon be open, and are probably by now. Maybe 40 - 50%? Others have not yet started the repair. Landscaping took a hard hit by the surge of seawater and is being replaced or waiting to regrow so someplaces are not that "green" yet. The clean-up is ongoing and each time we visit the debris is less and more repairs/rebuilding has taken place. It definitely isn't the war zone that it was right after the storm, but it isn't 100% either.
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Does it look like it did? No. Is it 100%, No. Do you want to see REAL TIME - click on this link for web cams of different places on the island including the beach: http://www.galveston.com/webcams/ .
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If you want visit Galveston to have fun at the beach, or go to Moody Gardens (http://www.moodygardens.com/), or Schliterbahn (sp?) you will have fun, just don't let your expectations be that of pre-Ike or of a 5 star resort town. The beaches are there and waiting for you! The island and it's people could use your tourists dollars to get back on it's feet. They are working hard to get back to the business of tourism and fun in the sun! It just takes time, money and people! We have been down there several times since the storm and will again throughout the summer and will keep you updated. IF YOU HAVE A SPECIFIC QUESTION ABOUT GALVESTON PLEASE EMAIL ME AT THE LINK ON THE SIDEBAR or here is the email: APPELQUILLINGGARDEN@YAHOO.COM . I will try my best to get you an answer. Thanks for having such an intrest in Galveston!
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Shalom,
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Sonya
Comments are always welcome!

Red and Turqouise Card and Galveston Update April 2009

Hi all, I hope you had a blessed time of celebrating the Lord's resurrection. This past week we observed Passover (Yeshua's death) and The Feast of First Fruits (His resurrection) this past Sunday, and are in the middle of observing the Feast of Unleavened Bread, so this is why I haven't posted until now.

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The above card's color inspiration was from the medallion embellishment that I purchased in a set. I probably would not have chosen this color combination but since I loved the medallions red and turquoise colors I tried it out. The verse seemed appropriate for our current Feast celebrations and has been so very true in my life. I embossed it in gold onto the turquoise cardstock which is a change from my usual white sentiment backgrounds. I also wanted a heart design to go along with the thought of the verse and I cut out a layered Nestie hearts in the same colors as the medallion and used glitter to coordinate. The verse and embellishments are popped up and the card is finished with gold "pearls" and a sheer red wired ribbon bow.

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I am still working on the last 5 of my 10 Fav's, it is hard to choose! We took a short day trip to Galveston today and the Island is steadily progressing in it's recovery. More and more businesses are reopening. Gutted shops on the Strand are opening back up after being redone and restocked. There were many people out on the beaches newly built up with sand and enjoying the sun today. I am not sure, but Murdoch's gift shop may be in the process of being rebuilt. There are new stilts on the supports where Murdoch's used to sit, so, hopefully this Galveston beloved icon is going to return. There are still signs of the damage, street signals still blinking and homes needing repair but the clean up is ongoing with new landscaping, roof repair, painting and things getting ready for summer tourism. Last time we were down for a visit there was still a bit of a wounded feeling about the city, but not today. Today there was a more normal feel with everyone out and about, even on a Monday, shopping, surfing and sunning! Below are a couple of new pictures.

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The first is of the west end at the state park that is being rebuilt. The sand is being sifted and cleaned and you can see that there is only one row of picnic shelters left in the campsites. You can see that there are no longer any streets, utilities, or grass but there will be. The campsites will probably be fewer in number as the dunes which are being rebuilt and recovering are further back now. The second pictures is of the seawall and the people out today enjoying the beach where every there was sand. The last is of what I hope is Murdoch's gift shop being rebuilt. You can see the ruins of the Flagship hotel in the distance.

Until the next post,

Shalom,

Sonya

Comments are always welcome!

Febuary 2009 Update on Galveston Texas with Pictures!

EDITED TO ADD: The picture link below has been updated on 3-6-09, to show the Moody Garden area, the seawall, and beach repair.

Hi all,

In looking at the post hits, I saw that many visits were for the Update on Galveston Texas. Unfortunately my first post did not include the pictures that we took while we were visiting there at the first of February because they were deleted by that phantom person in our house! But, good news! A friend who lives in Galveston graciously took more pictures for us to post so you could see the ongoing rebuilding of Galveston.

Click on the link here: mhtml:%7B5B409185-9F95-4D2B-AD8C-F1F7B60C1FBD%7Dmid://00000015/!x-usc:http://www.flickr.com/photos/35827096@N07/ and you can see them. There are pictures of the 91st pier or what is left of it, and a truck that was washed up on the pier and stranded there, the Flagship hotel which is still has extensive damage, you can see straight through the bottom floor, and as of now there are not any repairs being done on it. The pictures of the Strand show the work being done and there has been even more progress since the first of the month. The carriage is back so that means that things are starting to try to get back to normal. Kings Candy was rebuilding as well as other stores, as fast as they are going it should be soon. The water line is shown in one of the photos,it is on the red stone building on the Strand.

Galveston State Park is shown and you can see the entrance is still closed but the sign saying it will be back after rebuilding! When we were down there the surge gutted park headquarters office was still standing, but in these pictures it has been demolished, so the clean-up is progressing.
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There are no pictures of the beach repair, but that was going along nicely with truckload after truckload of sand being piled up on the beaches along the seawall. And, even with the erosion there still was plenty of beach to use where they hadn't gotten to yet. Stewart Beach looked forlorn with many of the structures wiped off the beach but the main public building where the concession's/showers/and such is still there. I'm sure that by summer it will be filled with people enjoying the sun and water again!
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There are no pictures of Moody Gardens yet but there was work on Schlitterbahn and the area looks like it should be back up by summer or sooner. I will see if we can get more pictures in the coming weeks to show the progress in all these areas, so check back every so often to see how Galveston is progressing!
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EDITED TO ADD: If you would like to have more updates on Galveston, leave me a comment to let me know! I'll keep posting updates every so often if you want to see more!
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Until the next post,
Shalom,

Sonya
Comments are always welcome! Take a moment and leave me a note!

Update on Galveston Texas after Hurricane Ike

Here is the promised post on the status of Galveston Island after Hurricane Ike. Unfortunately the pictures that we took last week while were down there visiting were deleted from my camera by that unknown person that lives in our house! So the picture above is the damage that we had. That was a beautiful pear tree. It split and took out the fence about 12:00 am the night that Hurricane Ike came in. Then it split again when it was at the highest winds and the fence on the other side survived and the pool thankfully or it would have flooded the back of the house! We were so blessed to have only this little damage, others were not so fortunate.

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In Galveston we saw the steady clean-up and still in need of repair structures, businesses that were still not open. Hopefully they will be within the next few months. The seawall looks different without the business that were on piers over the water, Murdoch's Gift Shops, The Balinese Room, other small restaurants are gone also. The Flagship hotel was severely damaged and you can see straight through the ground floor, with one of the driveways to the pier gone. Both the 61st and 91st street fishing pier are gone.

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Businesses along the seawall are not all back yet and some look like they are changing owners. The beaches are getting a few feet of new sand to build them back up. Stewart Beach park was deserted and closed. Most of the structures are gone or damaged extensively, except for the large pavilion where the bathrooms, showers, snack shop and gift shop were.

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Going through the island's neighborhoods there were houses still in need of repair and it looks like the people who have returned are trying to get back to normal. Moody Gardens is mostly down as two of the pyramids are not open. The Aquarium is up and running for the most part. The steamboat runs on certain days. The grounds look stripped of most of it's ground foliage, because of the saltwater, as does anyplace that was flooded. Schliterbahn looks like it took a lot of damage also, and there were workers repairing it trying to get it ready for this summer.

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We went to the Strand area and saw that it had 8 feet of water there. Only a handful of the businesses were open, most were not and the ones that were were on limited hours. There was a lot of repair going on in the shops and buildings that were not open yet, and it will be a few more months before this is finished. But they will be opening as they finish.

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A drive down to the west side of the island to see about the Galveston Island State Park and the damage there gave us a delightful surprise! As we drove by the closed entrance there was a sign that said "A new Texas State Park coming soon" Yea! As we have camped there many times and loved the close "get-a-way". The gate was closed and we could see workers cleaning the debris and much of the back rows of the campsites were still intact. We drove down to the nearest beach entrance and walked up the beach to the park. The dune and the bridges are gone as well as the premium beachside campsites that were in back of them. A lot of sand is over the whole park and they are removing it starting the cleanup. The beaches here have a lot of debris from the hurricane so you have to walk carefully! I wouldn't drive down it either. The pictures that you see on the Texas State Parks site for Galveston State Park give a good idea of the damage but a lot of the park is still intact. Unfortunately the headquarters and other buildings are a total lose. They will have to be rebuilt, maybe a stilted design like at Mustang Island Park?

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I wish I had the pictures!!!!! It would show you so much more. Galveston had the look and feel of being wounded and trying to heal. To be expected with what it went through! It still needs help, it's citizen's to return, so the businesses open and jobs, our prayers and help so it can back to life again.

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I also wanted to thank all those who visit my blog and also those who leave comments. I read each one and love to hear what you think about what was posted! I will either leave a response in the comments section or on your site/email.

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Tomorrow I hope to post a picture of a new card if I get it finished (and sort and straighten my craft area!). So until then,

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EDITED TO ADD: If you would like to see more updates on the Galveston recovery, leave me a comment to tell me. I will post updates from time to time if you want them. Also check out post dated, 2-28-09 that has a link to pictures from Galveston 2009.
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Shalom,

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Sonya

Comments are always welcome, drop me one, I'd LOVE to hear from you!