Houston Texas

We wanted to take a bus tour of Houston but could not find any running on a Sunday so did our own self guided tour of the G.B.D.



Found these very modern street cars and some very interesting new and old buildings. Then decided to drive down to the coast and take a look at Galveston.

Galveston Harbour

A Navy ship high and dry leaning to one side.






Looking north along Galveston Harbour with a cruise ship in port and oil rigs lining the other side.







These two oil rigs were huge.

Bill and Yvonne shivering in the very cool breeze after a very nice lunch looking out at this view across the harbour. The restaurant had been flooded with about nine feet of water and had just reopened after Hurricane Ike.

Bishop's Palace

This beautiful huge residence, on the main street into Galveston, called Bishop's Palace did not seem to be touched at all by Hurricane Ike.

Galveston Beach

The devastation from Hurricane Ike in September was most noticeable along the water front.



The front building may have been a restaurant or beach concession, it was impossible to tell. The building behind it was a hotel built out over the water on pilings. It is completely in ruins with many windows and walls gone.








We couldn't decide if this was a new construction or reconstruction.








The beach on the harbour side was still littered with debris that people were scavenging through.

Beach Reconstruction

As we were driving along the ocean waterfront, we stopped in front of some very large hotels to watch the reconstruction of the sand on the beach. Trucks were continuously unloading sand and bulldozers were smoothing out to a depth of ten to twelve feet as the tide is coming in.

As you can see in two of the pictures there is a very high sea wall that is disappearing under the new sand.






We just shook our heads of the cost of this work when so much else in the city needed repair.





Another pier in ruins with a truck all battered against the pilings.

Boats in Galvaston area

As we were driving along a street we came upon this forty footer. She had been washed up over the sea wall and fence, leaned and rubbed against the power poll and finished were she still lies three and half months later. We could see were her keel had plowed a furrow, she seemed to have very little damage, mast still standing but one spreader was gone. The power poll is leaning and is tied off to the palm tree.









You can see the devastation of these lovely homes across the harbour with about a thirty five foot power boat washed into the front garden.






This is a Catalina 30' washed over the sea wall, across the parking lot almost onto the road through the fence. Once again, very little damage, mast still standing.

Beach Houses

At the south western end of Galveston Beach we came upon this home. The wind would have come from the other side of the house causing a vacuum on this side, taking off the wall and roof. Click on this picture to enlarge and see that the bed still has covers on it, the TV is in place and the room on the right has a chest of drawers, amazing that the furniture was not sucked out. The pickup truck was washed against the pilings of the house.
These new looking condo's did not look too bad from were we could see them but had damage all through the lower level.