Hi Y'all - I know I am terribly late in getting this update and photos out to you, but I have been doing a lot more illustration work like this over the past couple of weeks and had deadlines to meet - so that's why the delay. (I haven't even done much blog-visiting or any commenting lately...so sorry...I miss you guys!) Sweet Hubby and I are heading out tomorrow for a 4 day birthday trip to Central Texas (Happy Birthday Sweetie-pie!!), so I wanted to be sure and get this out there before I was going to be away for several more days and not be able to post...______________________________
So, here is a bit about the aftermath of Hurricane Ike from my perspective...and how it affected us personally...(mostly photos with minimal commentary) Once again - we had it pretty good compared to the utter devastation of so many places...
Thank the Lord it didn't hit out home though...
Other than the substantial mess in the back yard (which we are still cleaning up), we really were quite fortunate - there were LOTS of folks in and around our neighborhood that had scenes like this to deal with...and this was a relatively minor one...
We are very blessed...
But nothing around here was anything as terrible and heartbreaking as the utter devastation on the Boliver Penninsula (incredible before and after shots), Gilchrist (amazing images), Kemah and surrounding areas, and in Galveston itself...just stunning in its scope. So many lost so much...and so many are still hurting and struggling...please continue to pray for the folks so deeply impacted by this incredible storm....
So Sad to See Them Go
I just wrote a blog post about this sweet Bed and Breakfast (The Clipper House Inn) a few weeks ago - my dear friends from Colorado joined us there in Kemah just two weeks before Ike hit - and now on the reservation page of their website it simply states the following:
"Due to hurricane Ike, the bed and breakfast will probably never be back in business."
So very sad...we loved it there...it was so cute and cozy with its 9 unique cottages, adorable furnishings and accessories, etc...all washed away by a 20 ft. storm surge that ravaged Kemah. Here are photos of our favorite cottage...now all destroyed...
Another favorite we are saying goodbye to is the Hula Hut Beach House in Crystal Beach on Boliver, our family's favorite vacation rental. We spent Christmas of 2006 and Thanksgiving of 2007 in this cute, kitschy beach house and have so many fond memories of our times here. We were booked there for Christmas this year, but received our deposit back in the mail with a simple note from the owners saying that our beloved Hula Hut "was no more".
It wasn't fancy, but it was perfect for our family...
It was so very close to the beach...just a stone's throw...it never had a chance....
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Post-Ike - 10 Things I Hope To Never Take For Granted Again:
- Ice
- Full grocery store shelves (it was the most eerie sight to see WalMart with empty shelves all throughout the cold and freezer sections of the grocery department)
- A soft bed
- Neighbors (it's amazing how we actually visited and got to know our neighbors through this, many for the first time)
- Air Conditioning
- The Internet
- Hot coffee
- The beach
- Traffic lights
- Our home and family
I'll see y'all when we return on Sunday, with lots of photos and stories to share I'm sure...and so much more...thank you so much for hanging in there with me through this time!
Oh Becky, the devastation of these storms is unbelieveable. Your poor, cute cottage shed! Those gorgeous B&B's! I am afraid that those of us who don't live in hurricane zones really don't have any idea what it myust be like to live in an area that is so damaged and the clean up that must be involved. I am glad your home escaped the devastation, but I know it must still affect you terribly. I will keep you and everyone down there in my prayers!
ReplyDeleteIt's going to be so many, many years before things return to any degree of normalcy in Galveston/Kemah. Ike affected so many... until looking at your photos, I didn't realize the full scope. Most of us have fond memories of vacations and family time at the beach. Oh Dear~
ReplyDeleteOn the bright side-- woohoo on the illustration work! Complete with deadlines!! That's just too exciting :)
Talk to you soon--
Connie Mae
Terrible the way disaster rips your heart out! I kept thinking that I hoped the fairies who live in your sweet shed were ok. That's a silly thought but it was the cutest little house! Hope something better takes it's place. The folks who are faced with no more business...I will keep them in my prayers. I wonder how many people just vanished in the surge. We sufferred through a Mother's Day Tornado rampage here in Middle GA this year and I lost a rose bush (sigh) and all the food in our fridge. The trees around here were just snapped like twigs. Huge trees! But the death list was short. Thank God. May this tragedy soon be behind all of you and allow you the opportunity to bless each other through all your talents. Thanks for sharing the pictures.
ReplyDeleteHi Becky, First off, so glad you and your hubby are okay. I am so sad and sorry for the damage around your home and yard. But like you said, it could be worse.
ReplyDeleteHow sad too, is the end of the sweet B&B. The before pictures are lovely and what a heartbreaker. I so agree with your list of things to appreciate in life. The little everyday things we take for granted are more important then we know. Gives all a wake up to our priorities.
Have a great evening and so glad you will be back soon.
Blessings always dear friend.
hugs, Celestina
la rea rose
Isn't it just so sad to know that such beautiful places and peoples homes are no more. How horrible and such a sad story! You had such a cute little doll house in your backyard - surely you are thinking of rebuilding it? I hope so. Becky, it would be a darling studio!
ReplyDelete((hugs))
Becky