Happy Halloween from beautiful Galveston Island

Well, well, Ted and I are back in Texas!  The smell of that salt, sea air out there in the beautiful Gulf makes me feel all better somehow.

Galveston had a lot of damage and many businesses, hotels, motels and restaurants are not up and running some seven weeks after Hurricane Ike.  Great piles of debris line the streets and big boats are sitting at funny angles all over the island.

We thought we had a studio apartment secured when we left Missouri to head home, but when we arrived with our confirmation number in hand, the owner/manager said that a "confirmation/number does not really mean you have a reservation and that he is in the business to make money and had to rent the studio apartment to someone else who came in first."  I almost lost my usually kind spirit and I did tell him that in America (where he was busy making a fortune), a confirmation number given in good faith meant we had a room when we arrived.  We had driven 11 hours with that hope in mind.

So, with that information stored away in my mind, we set out to look for housing yet again.  We found a beautiful, new suite in Galveston on the Gulf and took that even though the ferry that would take us to the Peninsula is not running at this time.  We spent Wednesday on the Peninsula and Ted went outward in a north western direction for one mile from our house to try to determine if we could find anything at all from the inside of the house.  He found nothing. It is still amazing to me that it just vanished and I don't think I'll ever get used to it just being gone, along with all of my things of a lifetime.

They have found two more bodies near the North Jetty where we live and Ike hit Texas seven weeks ago now.  It is so sad.  Galveston has much to do in the way of repair work and it is a slow and tiring process.

My deepest thanks to those of you who have written to us over these weeks.  Our mail had been accumulating in the new Winnie Post Office and when I went in to get it on Wednesday, we had two bags filled to the top.  I found wonderfully sweet cards of sympathy concerning Mother's death, cards regarding the Hurricane and loss of our home and just sweet, funny, little notes from dear friends.  

I sat and read and cried.  The notes and cards touched my heart and I thank each of you for them.  Please know that I have only just now received the bulk of our mail since the storm and I did not realize you had written or sent something along to us.  Our address remains Post Office Box 323, Port Bolivar, Texas 77650 for those who have asked.  Melissa, Regina, Michele, Crystal, and my dear cousin, Betty Glazner in Chattanooga, Ted Medlock, Ginger, Millie Pincus, dear Dallas Hill, Teresa, and Ann were among the many I heard from on Wednesday.  I will get caught up with my correspondence in a few days.

We are fine and still waiting for the insurance companies to say something, as are most of our friends.  Waiting is not easy, but we do it.

Until the next page turns,

Brenda

The salt, sea air sure smells good tonight!

From Branson, Missouri...

Sorry I've been negligent in posting on this site the past few days.  I just haven't had the heart to write much. We have been in a "waiting" or "holding" pattern for days now hoping to hear from one or the other of the adjustors to determine if wind or water took our home out.  It's been six weeks since the storm hit and we all are simply waiting, which is difficult.  We cannot make any permanent plans until we know whether Texas Windstorm insurance is going to pay for the house.  We will start the rebuilding process as soon as we know.

No businesses that I know of other than Seaside Lumber and Parker Lumber are able to work at all on the Peninsula at this time and jobs are scarce where people have had to go to find temporary housing.  Entire lives have been uprooted and changed and honestly, now that the newness has passed, no one seems to care very much, sad to say.

Many of our neighbors are now running out of saved money and need some help now from all of the government agencies and charitable groups that are supposed to step forward at times like this. So far The Salvation Army is the only agency that I personally know that has offered anything to the Bolivar Peninsula residents and that has come in the form of gift cards, food, clothing, and some housing arrangements.  Even this is hard to accept because you have to be where they are to accept the offer and no one is living on Bolivar with a few exceptions.

We are told that FEMA is working on establishing "planned communities" of modular housing for those without homes at all, but they are not approved for the Peninsula at this time.  They are approved for Jefferson, Orange and Chambers counties, and the city of Galveston.  We need for Galveston County as a whole to be approved so we can go home.  We could take the RV there to our property if we had water and power and were permitted to be there.  Perhaps we could be of more help to others and to ourselves.

FEMA has not done for Hurricane Ike victims what it did for Katrina and Rita victims and there are no known explanations other than the one a FEMA rep gave to me early on.  He said, "We are not going to be handing out money or housing like we did in Katrina because we made too many mistakes."  DUH, we did not make those mistakes nor contribute to them!  In fact, Texas as a whole, took literally thousands of those evacuee and cared for them as best we could, often without any appreciation being shown.  If I write a little angry, it is because I am.  We need to be told something constructive and given a timeline of some kind in order to plan our lives.

Entergy Texas is making progress is getting the power back on and the water department is working on getting water to the different areas.  One man in my group site just reported that the ferry will open again for residents' use in about 14 days.  The ferry running is huge to all of us because that is the only way to Galveston Island without driving all the way around the other end of the county, which is about a two-hour drive.

Ted and I plan to leave Branson in the morning and start toward the Peninsula. We have had a wonderful visit here and know in our hearts that we are far more blessed than many of our friends.   Now that it is cooler there, we can stay in the RV at Martha's house in Beaumont for a few days until we hear more.  There is also hope of getting into some type of housing while we build.

If any of you are interested and want more information about the Hurricane Ike situation, I belong to a wonderful group mostly made up of property owners and residents and everything pertaining to the Peninsula is covered on this site.  It is a Yahoo group called Bolivar_Peninsula_Group, and you have to ask to join it.  I have hesitated to write too much about the hurricane or the aftermath for fear of boring you guys.

Another body was found yesterday lodged against the North Jetty, which is within sight of our home.  A man had been working on his father's home in Crystal Beach and decided to take a break to do some flounder fishing and snagged the body.  Every time another one is found, the families of the missing get all excited and start up with the emails and phone calls.  Rumor says this one is in such bad condition that they don't know if it is male or female.  Imagine that being your mom or dad or child.  I can't!  I continue to work with these families as best I can and pass on any information that comes to my computer.

We do appreciate your words of encouragement, thoughts, and prayers, and know one day we'll be able to look back on this time in our lives and remember it not so harshly.  (Pam - I don't remember if I gave you the address we are using as you asked, but it is still Post Office Box 323, Port Bolivar, Texas 77650.  The mail is taken to Winnie, Texas, and we get it there from time to time.)

Until the next page turns,

Brenda

Touring The Titanic Exhibit was very educational and lots of fun, too!

Old dogs learning new tricks in Branson...

Ted and I begin our fourth week in Branson, Missouri while we await word from insurance adjustors, Galveston County, the water department and the electric company.  This past week was a fun one since we had Steven (age 13) and Brendan (age 11) visiting all week during their annual fall break from school in Orlinda, Tennessee.  

The boys have discovered a passion for skateboarding and no matter what else we did each day or evening, we still had to make time for a trip to the local park where they made several new friends, improved their skills and had the times of their young lives. They were eager to see if MaMa could ride a skateboard and finally got me to the top of one of the lower ramps to try my skill.  I will not be posting the results, but it was fun!  

We also took in several shows including Steven's favorite, SIX, and Brendan's choice, The Presley Family Show, which is dynamite.  We also spent the better part of one day touring the fabulous Titanic exhibit, which was educational, exciting and very interesting and we caught our neighbor in the condo here, Gary Welch, in his show at Branson Mall as well as several other very good entertainers.

We left early yesterday morning and drove to Poplar Bluff, Missouri, to meet Steve and Nikki and return our guests in time to be ready for school this morning back in Orlinda.  The ride was through twisting and turning mountain roads and the scenery rivaled that of a colorful fall post card picture.  It was supposed to be the peak of fall mountain color here in the area.

I told someone today that it is always a "blue Monday" the day the boys leave.  When they're here, there is always activity, noise and the cooking of food, or the cleaning up of the kitchen.  

Keep on praying, please, until we hear from our Texas Windstorm adjustor.  The rulings thus far that we have heard about have not been encouraging as most have ruled that it was water that took away the homes on Bolivar Peninsula.  

Until the next page turns,

Brenda

The splendor of colorful fall in the mountains

Fabulous fall in the Ozarks...

Gorgeous Tablerock Lake in the fall. Steven and Brendan enjoy fall break in the colorful splendor.

Brenda and "Elvis" (Tim Rowland) in Branson, after his show where he thrilled the crowd with his awesome voice and remarkable looks of "the King."

Johnny Butler, an original member of The Platters, poses for a photograph with Brenda after their show on Saturday Evening in Branson

Here's Steven and Brendan with "Elvis," Tim Rowland, after his performance at Branson Mall

Having fun in Branson...

Ted and I drove to Little Rock yesterday (Sunday) to meet Nikki (my youngest daughter) and Steve (her husband) and we picked up my two grandsons, Steven, age 13, and Brendan, age 11, for their week of Fall Break from school classes.  We visited Ted's cousin, Polly, in a very nice nursing home in Little Rock before heading back to our condo in Branson.  

I feel much better just being around these "babies" (they would die if they heard me call them that) who think they are grown men.  They are growing up way too fast for my tastes and I do love spending time with them when I can.  They had many questions about Hurricane Ike and why we are not living on the beach, but they do like Branson and the condo living lifestyle.  We visited various places in Branson today and took in a wonderful tribute to Elvis done by Tim Rowland. 

His show, "Spirit of Elvis," is better every time we have seen it and today it was obvious that Tim had truly captured the heart of every member of his large audience.  He sang many of Elvis Presley's big hits (and looks so much like the young Elvis of our youth) and then he did quite a number of his impersonations, which he is known for nationwide.  

Tim does more than 200 different impersonations and he is really good.  Today, we heard Frank Sinatra, the Chairman of the Board himself, Bobby Darin, Jerry Lee Lewis, Sammy Davis Jr., "Mr. Las Vegas," Neil Diamond, Rodney Dangerfield and Jimmy Stewart, among others. Personally, I could listen to "Elvis" all day and all night.  He has his moves down pat and his voice is remarkably like "the king's."

Our neighbor here in the Pointe Royale Condo is Gary Welch, who also performs at Branson Mall, where Tim does his show, invited us to come and visit and we did and have been going back every chance we get.  Gary spent part of his career with Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass and is a very talented performer.  He's an easy going, laid back, talented singer who covers several well known artists' songs.  He is particularly good with the old Merle Haggard, a bit of Willie, Waylon Jennings and others the crowd quickly recognizes.

All of these entertainers perform solely for tips or gratuities and any of them could take their place proudly on any stage around this town or any other.  You can catch Elvis, Gary and several others at the Branson Mall, from 9 am until 9 p.m. daily.  Great family entertainment without the high ticket prices.

Speaking of tickets, Ted took me on Saturday evening to see The Platters playing at the Caravelle Theater on the strip.  They were wonderful!  And, they sang all of the old songs we remember them doing.  In fact, Johnny Butler, one of the original Platters from my youth, is still singing with this group.  I tried to determine how old he is now, but I gave up.  I know he was singing with them when I was in high school, so gosh, he's got to be up there in age, but you would never know it by his performance.  And, he hung around to greet every fan that wanted to say hello or ask a question.  Ted arranged for me to have my photograph taken with Johnny and I will treasure that as long as "Smoke Gets in My Eyes," or "The Great Pretender" plays.

I have posted a few new photographs on my Shutterfly account, so if you'd like to see them, just email and I will forward you the link.

Until the next page turns, and may God bless you,

Brenda

This may help to answer the "where is it?" questions...

A report in the Charlotte Observer (of all places) said that the Padre Island National Seashore, the world's longest undeveloped barrier island now looks as if people have been living — and dumping — on it for decades.  Tons of debris swept up by Hurricane Ike last month were carried by Gulf of Mexico currents hundreds of miles from the upper Texas coast to this ordinarily pristine landscape just north of the Mexican border.

Associated Press Writer Christopher Sherman said that sections of roofs, refrigerators, loveseats, beds, TVs, hot tubs and holiday decorations litter the more than 60 miles of gently arcing sand in the national park.  

One four-mile stretch of beach produced enough litter to fill 2,870 industrial size trashbags.

What is so sad, in my opinion (I write here) is that this "trash" is the fabric of people's lives — people who have been digging in the sand and muck on Bolivar Peninsula in a feeble attempt to salvage just one memo, one dish, one piece of jewelry, one family heirloom or one beach memory from the nothingness that remains up and down the 29-mile stretch of land many called home.

Ike took a lot from us and we are sorry, for so many reasons, the he chose to dump it on other beautiful Texas shores.  

Bringing everyone up to date...

For those of you who continue to be interested, Ted and I are still waiting for news from the Texas Windstorm adjustor concerning our property on Bolivar Peninsula.  We are hearing rumors that power is to be connected to some parts of the Peninsula today, October 8, 2008, but we have not been able to confirm that for certain.  Most of us do not have power poles left in the ground and certainly no meters to connect to even if we get the power to our streets.

We were told yesterday that the Bolivar Peninsula Water Department is working diligently to restore water, but that it would likely be about 45 days before that could be accomplished.  So, we wait.

Power and water are the first two steps necessary to allow residents to return to the Peninsula and begin the process of rebuilding homes and lives.  Please continue to pray for the families of the missing.

In the meantime, here in Branson, we found a delightful used book store, a little like my favorite in Beaumont, Red B 4, and so I shopped for quite a while finding some replacement books for all those I lost.  Have to be very careful with all purchases here because of taking everything back home in the car. 

Weather continues to be amazing — just cool enough for a light blanket at night and very pleasant in the daytime.  The trees on the mountain sides are putting on quite a show, too.

I sincerely appreciate all of the communication from family and friends scattered across the nation.  Today would have been Mother and Daddy's 60th wedding anniversary. Wow, time really does fly, doesn't it?  

They were married in the #10 Atlanta Georgia Fire Station by a chaplain friend of my grandfather's.  Uncle Bill, Daddy's youngest brother, and I sat in the cab of a big fire truck during the ceremony and I remember thinking that it was the most exciting thing I'd ever done. In those days, the firemen still slid down shiny brass poles when the big bell was rung signaling an emergency.  At the end of the ceremony, the captain rang the bell and the firemen came down for some refreshments with the family.  I vividly remember that six decades later.

Until the next page turns,

Brenda

Copy of email I sent Ted's cousin this morning...

...which will help all to understand what is going on just now with insurance and other matters on the Peninsula.  Thank you for all your encouragement during these days.  Ted and I are safe in Branson and are having fun just resting, enjoying the lovely condo, taking in the sights and listening to the music from time to time.  The leaves are changing every day and it is fun to watch the transformation take place right before our eyes.  We walked about a mile this morning, up and down the hills in our complex, (wow - we're out of shape, I fear), and then we swam laps in the big indoor pool at the clubhouse.  We've met some nice retired couples traveling here for the fall color tours.

It is difficult to understand how the different insurance adjustors are coming to the results they are reaching.  Some pay for all damage and loss, some are paying for porches, decks, steps and outbuildings.  Others are not.  Some flood has paid, but most has not.  Windstorm seems to be the best option, but even their rulings are different for each homeowner and policy.  

Hurricane Gustav is totally different than Ike.  We hardly had any damage from Gustav — just some rain and some wind.  Ike was totally different.  It took everything we had — house and possessions alike. A few people have had the two storms mixed up in their thinking. 

Our Windstorm adjustor went out on Saturday and we are awaiting his report to  us. Homeowners pays nothing they say.  FEMA has already declared the house completely gone, which was not news to us at all.

Ted and I had come to love our little beach house and intended to live out our years there on the Bolivar Peninsula.  We are now waiting on water and power to be restored to the area and workers are there doing the best they can do under the circumstances.  Looters are also there as well, we are being told.  The 12 and 13th of the month will be one full month since Ike's visit of destruction.

The national news media does not touch what is really going on in our area, especially in the loss of lives. The New York Times did run one good story this last week on the missing people. There are continued discoveries of human remains and last week, the Houston Chronicle released a story about the cadaver dogs being brought in to help identify "hot spots" where more than one or two bodies are still located under debris.  The Examiner's lead story this week, written by James Shannon, was about the loss of life and the missing.

I have been working with several families concerning the missing and it is so sad.  Every time a "new" body is found or discovered, the family members get their hopes up and the phone calls and emails start all over again.  Most simply want closure, as anyone can understand, to this long and difficult waiting period.  I have not talked to one family member who resented their loved ones love of the beach and desire to live there.  Ted and I now know that three people are presumed dead from our little street in Port Bolivar.  The grandmother, mother and son, all in one family, lived together and tried to leave, but have not been heard from since the storm. The grandmother was a retired UTMB nurse and loved the beach.

The first anger I felt is when a FEMA representative told me personally that the agency would not be "handing out the $2,000 cash advances like they did with New Orleans/Katrina victims because they made so many mistakes with them." Duh!  I did not make any of those mistakes — the federal government did. I was getting information for a story I was doing and asked him several more questions as well.  However, I must be quick to say our FEMA inspector has been wonderful and is a nice guy.  He is a retired builder from Arizona and really seems to care about the applicants he is assigned.

We will build back once we know what we have at stake and once we get permission to return to Bolivar.  Worker are busy all over the Peninsula getting the power and water working again.

Take care and please do remember the families of the missing and those who are struggling to rebuild.  Many were full time residents of the Peninsula and had no other home to go to after the storm.  It will be years before the Bolivar Peninsula and Galveston Island is back up and running as it once was.

Until the next page turns,

Brenda

Thanks, too, for telling folks about the blog.  People are reading it from around the world and I've made so many new friends.

This just keeps on and on...

Associated Press

11:38 AM CDT, Sunday, October 5, 2008

Two more Ike victims found on Goat Island

GALVESTON, Texas -- Two more bodies have been found close to where Hurricane Ike thundered ashore, bringing the Texas death toll to 35 and the national toll to 70.

A search-and-rescue team Saturday made the discovery in debris fields on Goat Island, located off the devastated resort area of Bolivar Peninsula.  The bodies were taken to the Galveston County medical examiner's office.

Galveston County Sheriff's Office Maj. Ray Tuttoilmondo said he had no other information about the victims.

More than 1 million people evacuated the Texas coast due to Ike.  The storm caused flooding and deaths as far away as Pennsylvania and Illinois.

Please keep on praying for those who wait to hear about loved ones.

Until the next page turns,

Brenda

Sunday morning coming down in Branson...

Ted and I had a great day here yesterday taking in more of the sights and sounds.  Really nice people and we've met folks from all over the world touring here.

We are about to leave for a church service at Skyview Baptist, just down the road from us, but wanted to give all an update.  Our Texas Windstorm adjustor went to Bolivar yesterday and called us from the site of our former home.  He said his report would be completed in two to three days and that he would notify us of his opinion.  

Most residents have not liked or agreed with the opinion they have received from adjustors — paid either nothing or much too little to hope of rebuilding.  So, we are asking our friends (and those who read everything we post or write personally) to please keep on praying for a few more days.

Take care and have a blessed day today whatever you are doing.

Until the next page turns,

Brenda

Hello from Branson...

Ted and I continue to enjoy our time in this most restful place.  Each of the condos is decorated by the owner, whether it is a corporation or an individual. Ours happens to be owned by a gentleman who lives in Italy and only comes here four times each year.  

Our Texas Windstorm adjustor reached us last night and he will be going to the Peninsula tomorrow for his evaluation, so this is the time to really pray in our behalf.  He was pretty non-committal about what he expected to find and said he had been on the Peninsula already and that it was terrible.  We are getting reports of decaying animals and also horrible flies all over the Peninsula.  Even the adjustors do not want to stay any longer than necessary.

At least two more bodies have now been found and additional reports are indicating that the cadaver search dogs have indeed shown searchers that at least ten places on the Peninsula have more human bodies buried under sand and debris.  We are praying for our friends there.  The Examiner's lead story this week is on the missing.

The weather is getting a little more like fall every day and we have been able to tell the difference in the coloring of the trees as each day passes.  Everyone here tells us that the first real frost will really cause a change.  The Titanic Exhibit is here in town and we are considering going through the model ship tomorrow.  Ted's cousin, Nelda, tells us it was worth the money and that she played the part of a young girl in steerage while George played the part of the orchestra leader when they toured a few weeks ago.  Won't tell you here if either one survived the voyage (or at least the characters they played) or not, but it sounds like a lot of fun and a true lesson in history.  The exhibit has the big ship and the iceberg in the water along the side of one of the main streets.  Today, we went for a long drive out into the countryside and along the shores of the lake.  It still amazes me to have the mountains (or big hills, anyway) leading right down to the edge of the deep blue/green lake water.  Peaceful, oh so peaceful!

Until the next page turns,

Brenda

Greetings from beautiful Branson, MO

Ted and I are having fun here at Pointe Royale in Branson, MO.  It really is a beautiful area of the country.  Martha (Ted's sister) met with our FEMA representative yesterday to sign some papers in our behalf and today our Texas Windstorm adjustor/inspector called me to talk about our property.  It is a long, drawn out process, but we will get through it.  

Please keep on praying for a good outcome so we can get back to our lives.

We saw a wonderful family Gospel and country based show last night, and I was thrilled when one of the fabulous quartets sang "The Lighthouse," which is one of my very favorite songs in the entire world.  Everyone here is kind and considerate and the place is beautiful. In fact, it is so nice, we are hopeful that some of our friends will come up for a visit while we are here.

The news from the Bolivar Peninsula continues to be sad.  Yesterday, searchers found a man that we had known was missing since the day after the storm.  He worked for one of the larger builders in the area and his mom had tried everything she knew to find out what had happened to him.  His body was found on an island in Galveston Bay where it had washed up recently. Three people who lived on our street area also missing and their car was found filled with sand. They are assumed to be dead as well.  Two other bodies for whom I do not know the identity were also found yesterday.

Today, a large search was started on the Peninsula using cadaver dogs, and they found at least ten spots where human bodies are believed to be buried under the mounds of sand and debris. The local fire department chief had been begging for major help to search and was disheartened to be put off until today.  Still no word on Glennis Dunn.  The Examiner did a big story on the missing as the lead for this week. 

Several have asked if we have a mailing address and we do for as long as we are here. It is Unit 38-14, 158 A Pointe Royale Drive, Branson, MO 65616.  You can always reach one of us on our cell phone and we are trying to keep them charged regularly.

Take care and thank you for your continued love and concern.  Please do pray for the families of those who still have missing loved ones.

Until the next page turns,

Brenda