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| Angel |
On September 13, 2008 Hurricane Ike made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane near Galvseston Texas. Ike had category 5 hurricane storm surge and winds that extended 120 miles from the center of the storm. Hurricane Ike covered most of the Island in a tidal surge. This tidal surge of salty water led to the deaths of many of the trees on the island as the water saturated their roots. Because of Ike Galveston lost much of its beautiful tree canopy.
Like the best of Americans everywhere the citizens of Galveston refused to allow a disaster to hold them down. They have commissioned sculpture artists to turn the now dead tree trunks into works of art. They have done so at their own expense as government funds were available to cut down the dead trees but not to transform them. Whimsical sculptures have replaced the majestic oaks that once lined many neighborhood streets and shaded homes. Tucked into gardens and nestled in side yards the sculptures are there for the public to enjoy.
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| The Crane |
We heard about these sculptures from another couple we met on the cruise we took from Galveston; Jamie & Pat Edwards. They made some phone calls for us and got some addresses for us to drive to and find the sculptures. What we thought would be an hour side trip turned into an all afternoon walk through the neighborhoods admiring the homes and sculptures. Many of the owners came out and talked to us about their statues and the names they had given to them. My favorite was "Tina":
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| Tina |
Modeled after Tina Turner - who better to survive Hurricane Ike? Second favorite for me was this huge statue of a dog looking out over the iron fence down the street:
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| Dog |
And of course Dorothy's favorite was the Tinman and Toto - which I used for the December Postcard. This is D comforting her friend the Tinman:
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Tinman & Toto
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To read more about of these remarkable statues go to:
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The Geisha
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Squirrel
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| Owl & Post |
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