And, so are the birds. One of the most eerie things when I first returned to the island four months after Hurricane Ike was the complete absence of any birds. None, nada. It was sad and upsetting.
But they're BACK! The seagulls, the egrets, the pelicans. All of them soaring and standing in the water or nosediving for fish. It's fun to watch the gulls digging for little clams at the edge of the surf.
I just had to go to the water and put my toes in the Gulf on my latest trip to Texas. It would be impossible for me not to do so. I so love the water. It was a delightful day. The Gulf looked absolutely beautiful. The dolphins were jumping offshore as they do every afternoon about 4PM. It made my heart happy.
Not only are the birds back and the water looked clean, but the beach itself had been reclaimed with more sand brought in although there are homes that have had to be torn down since the shoreline did move inward.
The town of Galveston is sparkling. New landscaping, houses repaired and repainted. New businesses and LOTS and LOTS of tourists. I commented on the amount of tourists several times because it was before summer and unusual to have that many at that time of the year. (I've been going to Galveston for 45 years) It was encouraging for the businesses and town who had lost so much. It will be two years in September since Ike hit and I tell you, to me it is a miracle that Galveston is so together again.
It looked to me four months after the storm that there was no way they could save the place. But there are hardy souls on that island who love it very much. They persisted and saved it. In Texas we call that "can do" spirit. And Texas and Texans have a lot of that spirit!
2 comments:
I'm happy to hear Galveston is getting itself back together and the birds are back. They probably had a lot of damage to nesting sites. I haven't been there since I was a little girl but I remember thinking it was a thrilling place. Hope they never suffer an oil spill, that's even worse than a hurricane for the birds.
Galveston is back and though minus the beautiful oak trees on Broadway, it is looking really fine. The Galleries on Post Office have done major renovation and are quite elegant.
And we finally have birds back in our yard enjoying the feeders.
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