Observations Along Galveston's Seawall

It seems as though three out of four days during our month-long stay in Galveston have been marked by below average temperatures, clouds, some rain, and wind. And wind.

Steady winds of 20-25 miles per hour with gusts of about 40 mph have marked several days during this period.

The sea was angry that day, my friends, like an old man trying to send back soup in a deli!
--George Costanza

That description of George's (from "The Marine Biologist," episode 14, season 5 of Seinfeld) seemed quite appropriate on one particular day.

As we watched the spray rise from the waves, we wondered what it must have been like to have winds drive waves several feet high onto the shore of Galveston Island.

The Great Storm of 1900 and even the winds of the day shown above seemed a long ways away on this sunny day as we drove along Seawall Boulevard--the beach and Gulf on our right and restaurants, condos, hotels, and typical shore-related businesses on the left.

The city's response to that hurricane was to build a seawall that today extends 10 miles along the Island and to raise the elevation of the entire city by as much as 17 feet.

The seawall was to be made out of concrete and be paved on top.

This model (below) of a section of the seawall. The side facing the sea was designed concave to redirect the force of the waves upward. To prevent wash-out at the bottom of the structure, twenty-seven feet of granite boulders were placed to protect the base (display in the Rosenberg Library).

It's a real pleasure to drive the length of the Boulevard. There is a clear view of the Gulf the entire distance. Condo and apartment dwellers have a clear view of the Gulf and any visitor has access to the beach.

Makes good sense to us.

By the way, the sidewalk adjacent to Seawall Boulevard is claimed to be the longest continuous sidewalk in the world at 10.3 miles.

Parking spaces line the Boulevard, and on this day, we chose one of the spaces to watch the pelicans feeding.

"The Brown Pelican catches fish by diving from heights of 10-60 feet above the water. Air pockets in its body provide a cushion to keep the pelican from breaking its bones.

"The pelican starts a dive with wings halfway folded, its feet forward and neck tucked back. As the speed increases, it rotates its body, stretches its feet back towards the tail, flattens its wings, and points its bill downwards with a closed pouch.

"As the pelican hits the water, it opens up its bill and expands its pouch to catch the fish. It makes a turn under the water to make sure it is facing the wind as it surfaces. The water is drained out of the pouch (it holds about 3 gallons of water!). Fish taken are rarely larger than its bill" (birdinginformation.com/birds/pelicans/brown-pelican).

And speaking of pelicans and their bills, I have been waiting for the opportunity to present one of my favorite limericks.

A wonderful bird is the Pelican.
His beak can hold more than his belly can.
He can hold in his beak
Enough food for a week!
But I'll be darned if I know how the hellican?
--Dixon Lanier Merritt

A George Costanza quote and a limerick all in one day. A good day.