Just a little about Galveston.

Named after Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, Count of Gálvez, Galveston's first European settlements on the island were constructed around 1816. The Port of Galveston was established in 1825 by the Congress of Mexico following its successful independence from Spain. The city served as the main port for the Texas Navy during the Texas Revolution and later served as the capital of the Republic of Texas.

On September 8, 1900, the island was struck by a devastating hurricane. This event holds the record as the United States' deadliest natural disaster. The city was devastated, and an estimated 6,000 to 8,000 people on the island were killed. Following the storm, a 10-mile (16 km) long, 17 foot (5.2 m) high seawall was constructed to protect the city from floods and hurricane storm surge. A team of engineers including Henry Martyn Robert (Robert's Rules of Order) designed the plan to raise much of the existing city to a sufficient elevation behind a seawall so that confidence in the city could be maintained.

Everyone slept in until about 7 a.m. Well needed and deserved.

Breakfast at the church; everyone had various cereals. Looked at Heather's bike which we had transported for her to Houston. She had tried to fix a flat front tire back in GJ, but didnt quite find the source of the problem. I took her bike to Island Bicycle Shop where they said they "would try" to get the flat fixed and install a Mr. Tuffy type liner. I told him "try" wasn't good enough, that it had to be ready because our long distance bicycle ride was starting tomorrow.

Drove back to the church and waited for my friend Sister Frances Weber, a Catholic nun and a dear, dear friend of over 45 years. Frances lives in Freeport TX which is about an hour South of Galveston. Some of you may recall that three years ago, before the start of the "Coastin' to Carolina" ride, I drove to Kentucky and spent the better part of three days there with her, at her 50th anniversary of being a nun.

When Frances showed up, of course I recognized her, but she was shorter and more hunched over, and had trouble walking. She looked so nice, with a new perm. She is our son Kevin's godmother from when he was baptized the first time.

I hopped into Frances' van and we drove to downtown Galveston. Enjoyed seeing the beautiful Victorian gingerbread homes (not as colorful as the "painted ladies" in Cape May, but still very nice. We tried, but were unsuccessful, to find a Mexican restaurant where she wanted to eat. We ended up eating at another Mexican restaurant that the church secretary had recommended, El Gusto. The food was good, and we enjoyed chatting, reminiscing over many happenings in the long time that we have known each other.

Drove back to the church so Frances could meet Sherri, Gary, and Charlotte. She had to get back to Freeport, so we exchanged fond farewells, hugs, and kisses. God was so gracious to me, putting her in my life, for it was Frances who introduced Ron and me.

Went back to the Island Bicycle Shop to pick up Heather's bike, and we met Mary Ann (Sherri's sister) who had flown in from Reno NV to Houston. Denise Thurmond from the HD community picked Mary Ann up from the airport and drove her to Galveston. Denise had her daughter Bri with her, and Bri's children Hope and Mason too (ages 12 and 8). Mary Ann rode her bike back to the church.

Heather and Hope showed up about 6:00 pm. They had flown to Dallas from GJ on Wednesday and had spent the better part of three days with their sister Heidi and her husband Ben. They are expecting their first child in about 3 months. They had a late lunch, so didn't want to go out to eat.

The rest of us went to The Cajun Greek restaurant. Food was a little unusual but pretty good. Charlotte and I shared a chicken spinach sandwich with a side of grilled veggies.

We had a little "route rap" meeting to go over the plans for tomorrow's ride, how we plan to ride and take turns driving the van(s), etc. It was the first time that all of us were together!

Got to bedabout 10:00 am. Didn't get to do as much touring of Galveston as I would have liked, but oh well.

"Pedal the Gulf" starts tomorrow. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers!

With love from the Gulf,
Marie