Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Chapter 2: Texas!

So, now I will attempt to summarize my experiences in Texas thus far, having it been almost a month already. I have been extremely lax in my blogging habits, but I suppose that is a good thing, for it signifies that I have been otherwise busy and occupied! As most of you know, I function much better when busy.

I don't have many pictures to share yet because my camera died (officially) on the way down here...

Texas - On the Way


But I have since garnered one lovely paycheck and subsequently used said paycheck to purchase a lovely, shiny, new Sony camera! I am much happy about this investment, and have already begun to explore its many functions and take pictures of Galveston and the surrounding area. After this weekend I imagine I shall have much more to contribute in the imagery department :) So just wait - more to come! (insert advertisement reference of your choice)

In other words, I suppose the drive down here (since this is a travel blog, I shall mention such things) was pleasant, albeit long and uncomfortable. My mom and I didn't spend much time on the way since there was a need for speed (so to speak - of course we didn't go over the speed limit of 70mph the entire way). However, on the journey home in August, I look forward to exploring the unknown regions of the US with my friend Mark...so look forward to that summary at the conclusion of the summer as well. I suppose the most exciting part of the journey down here was the drive through Louisiana, at which point it began to get hot and the countryside looked a bit nifty-er. We saw some still-remaining evidence of Katrina on the highways, although we didn't get to stop in any cities or anywhere near the coast, so that was unfortunate. The drive through Mississippi and such was just absolutely boring, but oh well...

When we drove down the long stretch of Crystal Beach (Texas) we saw some really awesome evidence of Hurricane Ike from this past fall. The little slip of a beach lasted for some miles, and all along the stretch of it there were houses being rebuilt on stilts, which I think is rather pointless when debris still litters the roadside waiting to be cleaned up first. And why would you rebuild on a little area where everything was swept away clean!? I don't understand people sometimes, but you know if you have enough money, that vacation home you always wanted is pretty replaceable. The trees and brush left could be seen bent over from the strong winds, and everywhere you could see signs left in tatters for places that no longer stood there (at all). It was very interesting, and I hope to have pictures of this after our trip tomorrow to look at it. There are other interesting areas on Galveston that have stood against Ike, and everywhere you can see lines drawn on buildings showing how high the surge went. The town is still in shambles, kind of, so it's not as pretty of a place to be.

It also poured tremendously during the last leg of our drive to Galveston, which made driving on the highway extremely difficult, on top of being in the middle of nowhere for miles (and having to pee really badly!) But that is quite besides the point. I am desperately longing for such a deluge now, for it hasn't rained since we got here almost a month ago, and everything is hot, dry, and yellow. There is nothing green here and the air quality is terrible! I am not quite pleased with this, and I don't think I"ll be complaining about my dear Ohio anymore.

There are other updates of course, and I shall fill you in on the next post, when hopefully I shall have more pictures to compliment my musings!

Till then, adieu.

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