The nearly full moon reminds me that it is time to return home. We slept a little late this morning. Nameless is glazing tiles because that's how he relaxes. I am writing and drinking coffee. I didn't get around to walking on the sand at night, with the waves coming at me. I'm not a huge beach fan, but there is something very relaxing about walking in the seawater with sand beneath your feet, and watching the waves' endless approach. I did watch the waves, and I did smell salt air. And, Galveston is still here. I can come back.
Driving around, you can see some of the more influential families. Moody, Gresham, Kempner are a few. I kept seeing the name Galvez, which stands out a little bit. It seems very Spanish in a place that seems to have less Spanish influence than other places I've visited. (My home town of San Antonio, for instance.) At some point I read about the way the city got its name, for Bernardo de Gálvez y Madrid, Count of Gálvez. Galveztown – Galveston. I'm rather dense that way, sometimes. Things just have to be spelled out for me.
Nameless has a friend, Chin, who invited us to lunch since we were going to be in his neck of the woods. Vorakit Chinookoswong's home and studio are nearby, so we jump in the car and drive out to meet him and his brother and sister. The house is on a stunningly beautiful place, right next to the water with grass that is greener than green. They suffered, like many others in the area, from Hurricane Ike. His brother showed me where the water had come up to half the height of his kiln (brand new!). I remember when it was going on. I didn't have a phone number; I just had an email. The email I sent was answered weeks later when Chin managed to get to a place that had a computer. All of our technology was of no use; nobody had heard from him. So we waited. Where a house had been is now a field of bright green grass that Chin's brother grumbles that he has to mow. It truly is a beautiful place, even if it is exceptionally vulnerable.
I've written about Chin before
here, but below are a few pictures of some of the work that we have.
Chin told me I could take some pictures. I am very fond of seeing artists' workspaces. Here are a few.
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| A Potter's Wheel with a View of the Gulf |
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| Chin, when are you going to glaze those spiky things?! |
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| Work in Progress |
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| Brushes |
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I found the Top Secret Instructions!!!
But, I can't read them. |
More seafood for lunch. We had a wonderful visit with Chin.
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| Good friends |
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| DOH! |
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| Much better |
As the afternoon progressed it became time to take our leave and let Chin get back to producing his beautiful art. A few pictures of his place before we leave.
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| Older work used as a road block |
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| A snail that complements the round accents |
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| The world is a better place with these two men in it |
Back at the house we take a quick siesta. It's time to pack and leave. I think about what we've seen.
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| The Bishop's Palace |
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| Guarding The Bishop's Palace |
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| These stairs are much creepier than this picture indicates |
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| Ubiquitous "Hurricane Ike Water Level" marker |
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| Historic Home |
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| Pleasure Pier |
We clean the house (Nameless actually did most of the cleaning; I loaded the car.) We are ready to take our leave of this vacation. We both agree that a few days is best; it's time to be home. We did what I came to do. It's time to be home.
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| Sunset on our Galveston Vacation |
P.S. I'll mention again that Chin has a website:
http://www.vchingallery.com/index.html. If you visit, tell him Earnie sent you.
