The Legend Of Galveston Island-Personal Narrative

When I was 8 years old, the thoughts running through my mind should have been like any other 8 year old girl: going home to play my brand new Nintendo DS or playing house with my little sister. Reality was, I wasn’t a normal little girl. I was the girl whose life got turned upside down in a matter of minutes. No matter how much anyone tried to tell me, I knew a normal 8 year olds life didn’t include being surrounded by doctors 24/7.

Jack Johnson nicknamed the "Galveston Giant," was an American boxer and arguably the best heavyweight of his generation. He was the first black Heavyweight Champion of the World, from 1908-1915 and became infamous for his interracial relationships with white women. For more than a decade, Johnson was probably the most famous, and certainly the most notorious African-American in the world. Johnson won over 50 matches from 1902-1907 and in 47 years of fighting he was only knocked out three times.

Every summer I look forward to sitting on a large, warm cabana under the Texas sun. My feet buried in the sand as I welcome the lukewarm waves against my legs. Being a beach bum in South Padre Island, Texas is a great way to bring on the summer. This island isn’t short of attractions, from the beautiful ocean, to tasty restaurants, to fireworks over the ocean you will never get bored on your vacation! Last summer I was joined by a few of my closest friends. We made so many memories as we all went parasailing for the first time. Our relationship grew stronger as we were able to share a new experience together. Spending a few weeks in South Padre Island with family and close friends is a great way to make memories that will last a lifetime.

I am not from San Antonio. I am not from Texas. I’m from California. Where no one twangs, or drawls, or even says hi to the stranger standing in line at the grocery store. Texas, half way across the U.S and what seems like a whole other country compared to California. It is a completely different place that I could have ever imagined living and calling home. I came to Texas to find myself. I didn’t know that when I came here, but it is what ended up happening.

Having lived in the southern coastal region of Texas I have seen many of the beauties that nature offers, but many of these beauties also bring complicated needs to those they effect. I've discovered the power and magnitude of lightning storms I've been entranced by the soft crashing of the waves on the coast but the most beautiful and perhaps the most devastating phenomena I have ever viewed are hurricanes. Hurricanes have swept through my home front on many occasions, these powerful giants drift through towns decimating all in their paths breaking trees, ripping roofs off houses, and bringing with them a flood like no other. The high water and gale force winds that comprise these natural wrecking balls can cripple families and in my community

Karly Segrave was a fifteen year old girl when Hurricane Katrina Hit. Her mother worked at St. Tammany Parish Hospital, so when it was time to evacuate she stuffed everything she could into a backpack and went on her way. Most of the employees at the hospital brought their familys with them, so space was limited. Karly slept under her mothers cubical for three weeks. “At first it was fun,” she watched movies, played games, and had tons of people to talk to. Then days turned into weeks and the hospital begun to run low on food. She began to realize that it wasn’t all fun and games.

“It’s useless Dave,” my aunt confessed, “She loses every time we play. Hasn’t she learned?” As their conversation continued on, I blocked out all the horrid filled memories from the game. I created a brand new slate. With this thinking, I was ready to play. I was ready to win.

Our yearly pilgrimage to our deer lease in Menard, Texas starts every year on the first Friday in November. To get there we head four hours north thru the sprawling metropolis of San Antonio, full of its traffic and impatient drivers. Upon leaving the city limits of San Antonio, we head west towards Kerrville and the landscape starts to change drastically. No longer are we driving on flat land but now the car is climbing small hills and the road winds. We drive in this direction until we reach the vast acres of ranch land located on a lonely farm road between the small cities of Junction and Menard. If you drive too fast down the winding road, you will miss the old metal gate that is almost hidden by brush trees. My husband is the hunter, yet I love to come with him, because this is the place, where I disconnect from the fast paced life of city dwelling and feel reconnected once again to nature and I find peace and rest here in this cactus and dirt oasis.

In the tip of Texas, I was raised in a small city called Port Isabel. The community was very placid. You rarely heard the police siren go off in the neighborhood, or anyone committing a crime. Port Isabel always host fun activities for the community. La Pachanga, Tree Lighting, Feast of Sharing, High School Band Concerts, Marathons Relays, and Parades are the fun events that the community gives to the cordial people in Port Isabel. The city was near a beautiful Paradise island. When temperatures would rise above 90 degrees, everyone will pack their swimsuits, and hit the beach because of the intense heat. Even the sun will wear sunglasses.

Like the destitute, frail characters of the novel, the landscape of Texas is broken. Fragmented into spectacular pieces of beauty and despair. Galveston is not your typical back drop for a crime novel. The rugged Texas territory lapping at the gulf coast is often thought of as a peaceful spot for vacation. Here, Galveston is the all seeing eye of the story. It was there before us, nature would be there long after humans. The hotels and churches were all eroding and crumbling in the Texas clay. Like so much of the story, the settings must crumble before they can be built back up. The character’s also crumble before we find them back on the beach of Galveston, scarred, but not completely broken—yet.

Galveston Island is rich in history and has population history that archeologist have dated back to Native Americans. It was settled by Europeans and established as a port for the Republic of Mexico. It was rich in immigration and dominated trade. It has a history of turmoil caused by war and natural disasters. Galveston Island formed as a typical barrier island. Galveston’s formation took place 5000 years ago, as wind and wave energy along with rising sea water levels moved sand around to form the island. The wave and wind energy is indicative of storm surge often caused by hurricane interaction. The building up of Galveston Island continued until 3000 years ago. The coastal shoreline continues to change and those changes appear to be happening more rapidly than once believed. There are several things that impact the changing shoreline of Galveston Island including; changes in sea level, subsidence, erosion, and destruction of coastal protections like dunes, marshes, and wetlands, all of which are highly impacted by powerful storms and hurricanes.

My family, and I were going on vacation to Galveston Island. When we got there it was super pretty. My sister and I decided to go the the beach/ocean. My mom and brother stayed at the hotel to unpack all their stuff. When I got to the beach I started to swim for about 2 hours. After that I got sorta tired and I got out of the water to sit down where my sister, Chandler was When my brother, Tucker came he said that “I have Two blow up surf boards”. You couldn't really stand on them so you had to lay down, but they were still fun. So we went in the water and started surfing with them.

A feeling of nostalgia came over you when you saw the old-fashioned sign and popcorn machines, everything was still in perfect order.

When I was assigned this project, I was given a big piece of paper and a marker, I was told to write down all the phrases, or words that left an impact on me. The moment I sat down and wrote all of the most influential moments, a strong feeling of nostalgia hit me. It would be physically impossible for me to write a single paper about all of these moments, but for now, I will be telling you about my three most favorite memories. So relax, and I’ll take you back to the time that will always be a part of me.

These were the memories that were worth keeping all the good times you have with your friends and family,looking back on those times would