Signs of Ike

This weekend we decided to take a little trip to the Gulf and went to Kemah, a place several people suggested we go before Hurricane Ike. It was only about an hour to drive down and it was an interesting drive with the scenery changing from the tall buildings of downtown Houston to the rows of oil refineries and the smell that reminded me of Gary, Indiana.

Once we got to the Seabrook area, remnants of Ike and its fury were still evident. Signs were blown out, the FEMA blue tarps still covered damaged roofs, we walked past two buildings - one a home and the other a former bar that had "Keep Out" spray painted in bright orange on the walls with the contents of the buildings either thrown out onto the lawn or left in their disarray.

It wasn't the warmest day to go to the Gulf. It was an overcast 70 and cool enough to need light jackets. When we parked at Kemah some of the little shops and restaurants were open. Either they didn't sustain too much damage from the Hurricane or they have already rebuilt. The buildings I mentioned before were facing the Gulf side. We walked down to what is officially considered the Kemah Boardwalk. It's a inn, several restaurants, rides, and games all owned by the owner of Landry's Restaurants that includes Joe's Crabshack and Saltgrass chains.

We went to a restaurant called The Aquarium a place we have wanted to take the kids for some time now. It has a huge salt water tank that has sharks, and eel, sting rays and other fish that seemed like they were the size of Eli. It was only the second day they had been open since Ike. They are still in the process of rebuilding the boardwalk. Our waiter said across the channel that the Pappadeux restaurant will not reopen where the battered building still stands, but will instead tear that building down and build new.

Despite only a handful of the shops and restaurants being open. I was happy to see people milling around, checking out the pelicans, and watching the boats come in and out to harbor. I imagine by the time summer rolls around, Kemah will be a bustling place to go to have fun.

We left after a few hours because it was getting chilly with dusk beginning to fall and it was way past Eli's nap time. As we left the Kemah limits, there was a boat washed ashore where it came to rest after the hurricane and a church with it's windows still boarded and debris in the yard. Signs of Ike's destruction reminded me that while life has returned to normal in northwest Houston, people are still recovering only an hour south, and I imagine it's nothing compared to Galveston.