Hen House

The chickens are 1.5 months old now and growing fast. Got most of their feathers.
I've finished the coop. Just need to build a door that leads to their loft.

Cleopatra.
Like my ladder? I used bamboo and glued it for rails on a piece of lumber.
Chelsea.
The girls have been eating watermelon all day.
You'll have to excuse them. They didn't know their picture would be taken today. Didn't have time to clean up after that watermelon bath!
I think Jessy took a swim. If you look closely, you can tell she's been pigging out. Her gut is really sticking out!

Marigold Seeds

Certified Organic French Brocade Marigolds. These flowers are natural pesticides against pests and certain animals. Certainly keepers in my garden --- not only drought tolerant, but very hardy.
Today, I managed to collect a bounty of seeds! What a great feeling to never have to order online these seeds again.

This was only from two plants! Hoping to find someone willing to swap organic flower seeds.
Freshly hatched natural pesticide!
Grilled a yummy burger today of sea salt, garlic, and Rosemary.

Galveston Island

Houston!
Although Galveston Island was HOPPING, we saw lots of damage, and missing piers from Hurricane Ike. Something else was "missing" too but Alan and I couldn't put our finger on it...
We ate at the Mosquito Restaurant off of 14th street (a few blocks from the sea wall.) A very friendly establishment that welcomes pets. They'll even serve your furry friend water. We dined in their outdoor patio. Their burgers and mango iced tea was FAB!

While at the restaurant, we met a 5th generation Galveston resident. Her first ancestor, an attorney, survived the Sept. 8, 1900 hurricane. She suggested a shaded park down the road for us to take Sheba. There we walked the dog and gave her a much needed break from the car, and the hot asphalt of the sea wall.
Yay, Ron Paul!
On the beach off the sea wall.




Salt water from Ike destroyed these trees. They'll eventually be cut down. We were wondering earlier why they weren't green while driving through.

We saw a lot of damage today, but also a small island BOOMING with business. What was sobering was driving through the residences and noticing water lines on the buildings. Many of these buildings were submerged.

We discovered a quaint district off of Strand street. Busy eclectic shops, ice cream parlors and trolley tracks. Hare Karishma devotees walked up and down the drag in pink robes singing songs and handing out tracts. Oh how I wish I took some pictures.

Check out the Olympia restaurant. Greek food right by the water. You can watch the ships go by. We plan to go there next time we're in town. Pets welcome!

Around this time last year we had camped at Galveston Island State Park - exactly a month before Ike hit. We were shocked at the damage at the state park today. Many buildings were gone and the park was a shell of its former self.

All in all, it was a worthwhile road trip. Alan took a lot of pictures of the damage and will post some on his Facebook. We listened to a neat radio station driving home. A smorgasboard of music - 60's, 70's, 80's, -- left us guessing who would play next. What a great day trip. Tired and glad to be home though!