Remember my cartwheel incident on the beach in Galveston? Well, oddly enough, my Galveston girlfriend did get some pictures of my folly. I'm sure I should be embarrassed by them, but at my age it's just hard to be embarrassed about anything. I came, I fell, and I was conquered. Conquered by my aging body and brain, simultaneously.
So, I present you with The Cartwheel Incident, in a sequence of pictures:
On another, sadder note, our Galveston friends sent us an email telling us about some video footage that had been shot by a neighbor of their's. It is quite shocking and it looks as if our friends might eventually lose both of their houses. The saddest part of all this is that they still have to pay off the bank for both houses. Texas is one of the few states that has laws against re-building after hurricanes and tropical storms when the amount of beach left is an issue.
While insurance covers repairs, it doesn't cover houses deemed to be destoyed by the state. If the state decides your house needs to go, then you still have to pay it off with the lender anyway. So, in other words, you pay out the wazzoo for nothing. A few good years on the beach, then a hurricane and it's all gone. Something that no longer exists but keeps on taking from you until it's paid off. Beach houses on West Galveston mostly sold for around $350,000.00 up to the millions. You would have been hard pressed to find a beach house under $350,000.00 before Hurricane Ike made landfall. I'm pretty certain you could get a bargain these days.
Here is some video footage of our friends' neighborhood. One of their neighbors was able to take video of their street. Their new house is the one standing out in the water. Their first house is the one leaning to, at the edge of the water:
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25 comments:
While I enjoyed the pictures of your cartwheel, (and hope you're fully recovered) the news about your friends homes is the saddest thing ever.
Thanks for sharing your cartwheel. Or should I say attempted cartwheel? LOL.
So sorry about your friends houses and everyone's there. After reading everything you have written about the insurance, the state and all though, I must say I wouldn't choose to build somewhere that close to the ocean. I guess I'm not a gambler.
Yes, my sentiments exactly. Give me a lake house or a mountain home any day!
Thank you for sharing yoru cartwheel with us. A cartwheel is always a sign you are having fun. Who ever did one out of sadness.?
Anyway, I am so sorry to hear about the fate of your friend's homes. Between the hurricaine and all this economy crud, just not good at all.
That cartwheel is a funny contrast to that footage. It looks like a bomb went off. Did you get Isaac's Storm? The pictures are eerily similar. Does hurricane insurance cover the remainder of the mortgage? I can't imagine having to make payments on something that is no more and never will be.
That cartwheel is a funny contrast to that footage. It looks like a bomb went off. Did you get Isaac's Storm? The pictures are eerily similar. Does hurricane insurance cover the remainder of the mortgage? I can't imagine having to make payments on something that is no more and never will be.
I could've warned you! I know that pain!! I did that a couple of months ago for my daughter trying to show off. It didn't go over so well, and I'm 38. So I guess we should've retired the cartwheels somewhere in the late twenties, maybe.
I thought you would understand the contrast of the hurricane's aftermath better if I showed you the beach pictures first. Honestly, their entire subdivision looks like a bomb went off.
Our friends are finally going to fly down there on this coming Friday to meet with an insurance adjuster and board up any windows, if need be. It could be up to a year before the state decides whether or not to take down one or both houses. A year that will most likely be spent in limbo.
However, since nature so often replenishes itself, the state is hoping that the ocean will eventually return some of the sand to the beaches. Also, they will be scraping up all the sand & debris with bulldozers, sifting sand and returning the clean sand to the beach. So, you can imagine how long that will take.
The odd thing is that our friends almost sold their home here in Midland, at one point. They had it on the market for like 3 days, then decided against it. Thank God.
I have found so many other home videos on the internet, which has kept me captivated, if only by the sheer magnitude of the destruction Ike caused. I've spent endless hours going through them and am still totally amazed.
I am so sorry about your friend's house. There is just something fundamentally wrong when insurance won't pay when you will be forced to demolish your house!!
Oh that is such a bummer! Man, that just sucks they have to pay for a home that is not there...ugh, so terrible.
I really enjoyed the cartwheel shots. Great series. If it makes you feel any better, my cartwheel would have ended the same. I really feel for your friends. It makes me sick to see Galveston like that. BJ
I don't even know if I can DO a cartwheel.
The houses - that is horrible. I'm so glad they're okay, though. It's probably going to be rough for a while.
The pictures are funny, the video is heartbreaking. Good luck to your friends as they try to salvage what they can — hope that insurance adjuster is a decent human being.
Is there no type of FEMA or disaster relief which would aid with the home payments? How very odd. And sad. I'm so sorry.
I was going to leave a comment earlier and had to abandon the computer for some reason or another.
Your cartwheel shots - LMFAO!!
First, I can not do a cartwheel AT. ALL. Never could. It's a shame. I do a mean somersault though, well, I did at one time - even that would probably hurt me now.
You look good in a bathing suit! Dang! Way to go!
Oh that is so sad-- not the cartwheel, I'm glad to finally see pictures of the infamous incident, but the video, wow.
Holy Moley sister what were you trying to do to yourself?
I feel for those people in Galveston, damn insurance companies anyways...
you make falling look good! check you out in your bathing suit, i should be so lucky to look so fab in my bathing suit!
I'm sorry Snooty, but I am totally cracking up! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING??!! Oh wait I know, you just wanted to make me laugh right? You look fabulous, You are smoking hot!
XOXO
oh snooty! your poor friends, that is so horrible. but your cartwheel is awesome!
Those pictures gave me a smile.....:)
I feel so awful for your friends.
Your cartwheel was just awesome! Thanks for the very good laugh. You're the best!
Hey Lady - you're MIA... where'd ya go? I tagged you - hop over to my blog to check it out. It's a fun one!
Hi, Hope all is well. I've tagged your for a 7 meme if you care to play along. BJ
OMG MOM! I just bursted out laughing, those pictures are SO funny! Miss you!
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