Recently in Adrienne Culpepper Category

 A couple random reasons for nearly not passing your State Vehicle Inspection :

1. the threads on your gas cap are not "big enough".  This actually happened to me last month and it was a first.  I'm there at the service station - a truly captive audience since my car and all my keys are 8 feet off the ground - and the guy's standing there with my inadequate gas cap in hand asking me if I want a new one or if I want to fail the inspection.  

"Well how much do you charge for a new cap?" I asked, and to myself "...that I suspect you now keep a handy inventory of around the corner!"   I suddenly felt like Clark Griswold after he drove the family truckster off the desert road and found himself in front of the shady mechanic who demanded all his money for the repairs:

Mechanic: Ain't never seen anyone so shit-all stupid as you driving off that road.
                             You musta got manure for your brains.

Clark: Yeah, well, we're from out of town. How much do I owe you?

Mechanic: How much you got?

Clark: No, I'm asking how much the repairs are.

Mechanic: I'm asking how much you got!

Clark: You're out of your mind. Look, I don't have time to fool around so how much is

                    it?

Mechanic: All of it, boy!

Clark: What does the sheriff think of your business practice?

[Mechanic laughs and shows his sheriff's badge]

 

So I paid the $8.99 for the new and improved gas cap that looked oddly similar to my old one and went on my way with my passing grade.

2. your horn is too weak.  I guess I can understand this one because it's probably a safety issue, but when it happened to Eddy this morning he was a bit at a loss as to what to do next...  So he came to Mechanic Mikie and what ensued should really be the next entry on "There, I Fixed It.com" although since there was no duct tape invovled I think that's an automatic dismissal:

          Eddy: So they said my truck wouldn't pass inspection with the horn not working... Got
                   any ideas?
          Mikie: Have you checked the connections?  Let's do that first...
          [They check the connections, realizing the horn is shot] 

Mikie: I think I've got an idea... 

Eddy: [Giggling as he knows with Mikie that could mean anything] Okay!

 

The end result?  Eddy's vehicle is now equipped with a boat horn...  Guess that's what happens when you go to a nautical store to outfit a truck...  And in case you're wondering if that sort of thing is acceptable per the Texas Department of Public Safety, just ask newly legal driver Eddy to give you a demo!

   

 

 

 

 

I just voted for my favorite B&B (among other fun categories) at Galveston.com's annual "best of" survey and figured it'd be good timing to share the interview I did with some recent overnight guests of Grace Manor Bed & Breakfast (1702 Postoffice)... 

We caught up with REM and EM (empty-nesters from Northern Virginia) who were on the Island in May visiting family.  They also timed their visit so they could catch the 2010 IBC Beach Revue which was, for us, an added bonus! 

Me: "Why did you choose Grace Manor for your Island accommodations?"
EM: "It came highly recommended from many Islanders as well as the Beach Revue promoters so we gave it a shot and really enjoyed it."
Me: "IBC was very proud to have GM as an official sponsor of the Beach Revue again this year!"

Me: "What impressed you most about GM?"
EM: "The elegance and history of the mansion... Barb's gracious manner in taking care of all her guests... The wonderful front porch and talking with the interesting visitors... And the presence of Gracie and Joe, wonderful additions to GM"
REM adds: "...and the outstanding breakfast!"

Me: "What was your favorite part of the weekend?"
REM: "Perusing the Strand area shops, eating at the waterfront, visiting the Hotel Galvez, and getting to watch the Beach Revue."
EM adds: "and visiting with our children and grand dogs of course!"

Me: "Would you come back to stay at GM again?  How would you rate your experience overall?"
EM: "We'd love to return - it's an outstanding place!  I'd recommend it 100% to anyone planning to visit the Island."
REM: "We'd happily stay there again - had a great time!"

Michael and I have had the pleasure of being daytime guests at GM and experiencing Barb's hospitality.  We'd definitely recommend it for your own of town guests - or even if you want to "get away" without leaving the Island. 

It's sorta funny the evolution that naturally occurs when doing a major renovation on a building that's pretty much a shell.  Michael and I were talking/reminiscing about the steps we've taken as we continue to work on the new-old building for the shop - here we are 18 months into it and although we've come a long way, there's still a LOT to do... 

Basically, we've done stuff in order of what naturally seemed the most important:

1. shelter: get the thing stabilized and make sure it doesn't fall on our heads.  start by manually pumping off the 30,000 gallons of water on the roof.  check.
2. water: be able to successfully flush...  which may or may not require (in our case, it did) the additional assistance of a very resourceful friend who's simply not afraid to get dirty... I'm talkin' sewer pipe dirty here and that's a whooooole different breed of dirty... check.
3. electricity: although not totally essential to survival, being able to plug in a cell phone charger, laptop and eventually credit card machine do come in quite handy when trying to operate a legit biz.  West End Electric - check plus.
4. climate control: HOLY. FREAKING. COW.  I LOVE YOU. 

Since September 13th, 2008 we haven't had climate control.  I know a lot of folks have been in the same boat so I certainly can't complain - in fact, I will readily admit that it truly hasn't been that bad.  I mean our former East End house was built well before climate control of any kind existed - shoot it was built before water ran through any pipes.  So really it was designed with balmy Gulf Coast summers in mind - lots of windows, shaded porches, and hallways that shot straight through the center of the house so air circulation was a cinch. 

But, since we sold the house (small amount of sadness, but we know she's in good hands with the new owners)  and have continued work at the new shop sans such fancy advancements like "windows that open" or "climate control", many people have looked at us like we're crazy.  And I now realize they were right.  All of them.

On Wednesday, our office took a giant leap into the 19th century and became air conditioned.  Check, check and check.  Man, is it glorious.  It's our one little personal piece of heaven now - aside from our fave watering hole next door, of course.  But they insist on you wearing pants over there, so it's not completely the same.  (I don't think Will was privy to that memo...) 

All I can say is that we are truly blessed.  And man is my husband handy... 

    

Although I had another title picked out for this post, Michael suggested it might be "borderline shady" so, being a good wifie I gave in...  This is the fifth edition of IBC's monthly column for Galveston Monthly.  You can pick up a free Galveston Monthly at many local locations across the Island.

Usually Sunday mornings involve a whole lot of nothing for us Culpeppers.  Feed the dogs (or suffer the consequences which include cold, wet noses contacting any exposed facial skin followed by loud, never.ending.barking), go back to bed, and eventually open up the Nautical shop at 11am. 

This Sunday morning, however we did things a bit differently.  I wanted to share a little bit about one of our personal favorite "touristy" things to do on the Island, but to be honest, it had been a while since the last time we had the opportunity to ride the "Treasure Isle Tour Train" so I wanted a refresher first.  (This being the Sunday morning after a Galveston Artwalk, it was especially challenging to rouse ourselves for the task at hand, but it was truly worth the effort!)

The unmistakable pink Treasure Isle Tour Train has been operating on the Island since 1962 - our friendly driver and tour guide, David, was quick to point out that in 48 years of operation, the Tour Train has never missed a year of service!  Although I was sad to learn that the locomotive-looking Jeep that used to pull the "train" was lost to Hurricane Ike's floodwaters in 2008, it doesn't seem to have dampened the spirit - or enjoyment of the Tour Train experience one bit.

At 9:30am, the sun was already heating things up when we left the pickup/drop-off station at 25^th and Seawall to begin the tour, but the steady breeze we enjoyed for the rest of the trip made the ride pretty darn comfortable.  The Tour Train began its journey along the historic Seawall with a recorded narrative of the Island's historic beginnings, notable landmarks, and local facts and trivia thrown in live by tour guide David.  It wound through the Island's historic districts and past some of the oldest homes, churches and noteworthy sites including the 1839 Samuel May Williams Home (36^th & Ave P), the Texas Heroes Monument  (*I beg to differ with this link's 1st line description of "formerly-great", just for the record) @ 25^th & Broadway, and along the waterfront at Pier 21 for a glimpse of the 1877 Tall Ship Elissa.

Overall, the tour lasts roughly an hour and 45 minutes, give or take a bit depending on traffic.  It truly has something for everyone - information for the history buffs, great scenery for the shutter bugs, and for the kiddos, well who wouldn't have fun riding an open-air train?!  There's even a brief pit stop downtown at one of my favorite places - MOD coffeehouse if you want something to sip on for the 2^nd half of the ride.

Before bidding farewell to the pink train, David mentioned to me that he's had long time Galvestonians admit that they too learned something new about this great place we call home while aboard the Treasure Isle Tour Train.  I know I sure did when I learned how one solitary drummer was instrumental in the successful 4' raising of Trinity Church (22^nd & Winnie) in the early 1900s. 

So whether you're visiting Galveston or you're a local looking for something fun to do on any given day of the week, think pink and hop on board the Tour Train.

What are some of your favorite Gtown touristy things to do?  

Actually, its just a pair of 'em - lucky bulls, known as "toritos" and they were brought back from Peru by my good friend Annie.  Apparently these little guys are all over the rooftops of Peruvian homes and they are supposed to bring prosperity (yay!) and fertility (yikes!... and my apologies for the reference linked here!) to that household...  Maybe we'll just put the prosperous bull on the rooftop at the shop and let his fertile friend sit this one out...   

This morning we had the pleasure of painting someone else's stuff for a change, and I have to admit that painting with an actual color was really thrilling for me as the only "color" I've been using for the past few weeks at the shop has been white... Boring white...  White caulk, white primer, white spots on my shorts and flipflops. 

Our friend and Preservation Resources Project Coordinator for GHF, Matty Farragher runs the GHF Paint Pals program twice a year and it's a pretty great little operation.  The materials are donated (paint by Sherwin Williams and that's some quality paint, y'all), the work is done by volunteers (ahem, nice job, Aggies and other friends - except for poor Mikie who, for a few minutes was forced to paint with the world's WORST PAINTBRUSH. EVER. See below) and the project basically lends a helping hand to a Galveston neighbor while helping revitalze some of our Island's neighborhoods one house at a time... 

Plus, it's fun!

For more info on GHF's Paint Pals program, visit www.GalvestonHistory.org/Paint_Pals.asp.  

 

We're pretty proud of winning 1st place "overall" this year in the Galveston Island 4th of July Parade...  I have a sneaking suspicion that the bathing beauties may have had something to do with it...  Congratulations!  (Thanks Tim Sandberg for taking such great photos!)

I'm trying to remember the last time I attended a ribbon cutting.  I think it was at my friend's hubby's grand opening of his real estate brokerage in League City.  It was all very professional: the local Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors were there in their fancy maroon blazers and name tags, armed with their own stack of personal business cards...  There was a nice reception in the office afterwards, everyone mingled for a while, but by 9:45am, the party was over and everyone had to head off to work... After all, what good is a Chamber without any Commerce?  (or Pot, or Maid, or Lain for that matter?!)

But a Chamber ribbon cutting on Galveston Island???  And for IBC's very own WILLTHING???  I'm sorry, but that just won't cut it. 

Enter the first ever residential-keg party-ribbon cutting by the Galveston Chamber of Commerce.  Yes, there was a keg of Shiner.  Yes, there were homemade hors doeuvres (pictured below in the "food prep-slash-launder-ing facilities room" - please don't call it the dryer).  Yes, there were Chamber Ambassadors, and yes there was a ribbon and it was fantastically cut (the funny extra-large clown scissors really do have a working blade!) by Willthing himself.  

(note the approval and glee on Halvsie's (Sean O'Leary) face after seeing how Will handled that ribbon)

I'm afraid the VP of WILLTHING Operations, shown in the above right photo, was not in the best mood that day - she just wasn't feeling the group pictures. 

 (I like that there's a pinata that is about 11 months old hanging just above the Ambassadors' heads - they all took it in stride, though and I'd dare say it didn't seem to phase them a bit!)

Hurricane Season is here and I think we all know the importance of being informed and prepared.

One of the ways to be sure you know a "storm's a- brewin" and we may need to evacuate (aside from the fact that it'll be blaringly obvious due to the INSTANT. INSANE. MEDIA. FRENZY. that will swarm the Island and will manage to find the single-worst looking palm tree, stand beneath it among a pile of fallen fronds, and make that very spot reporting headquarters so all of our family and friends watching the news from far away will surely tune in to be reassured that this little sandbar that we're all "so crazy" to live on (crazy like a fox, eh?!) is sure to be wiped off the map in a matter of days...) is to sign up for the City's Emergency Notification Program. 

The Emergency Notification Program is basically a (free to us) tool that allows the City to send out a mass voice mail and/or text message to our land line phone, cell phone and/or emails.  What might they call/text/email us about?  The City lists a number of situations including "unexpected road or street closures, the need to evacuate buildings or neighborhoods due to situations like hurricanes, severe weather, abnormally high tides, and water service suspensions."

Note: residents and businesses with listed phone numbers have already been included in this system, but if you're unsure or if you'd like to register a few other contacts, go online today and get started - it takes less than 2 minutes complete online!  (If you'd like to discontinue your use you can do that online too - check out the "opt out" link here...)
 

So IBC was invited to join in a special Dolphin Baywatch Tour last Tuesday and boy were we treated right!  Captain Mike and his wife Uthai, along with the crew including Dave and Katie Jo took us on a very relaxing, seasick-free adventure out in the Galveston harbor.  AND, we DID see dolphins! 

**This was also the first boat ride for the Mondo offspring - still in-utero!**

We also got an up-close view of the American Wind Symphony Orchestra that was playing that evening along the waterfront - AND they put in an order for a beautiful Galveston sunset for us as well - what a great way to wind down a Tuesday evening!

**Tours are narrarated and 45 minutes in duration - $10 adults, $5 for kiddos, 7 days a week from 10am to 4pm at 21st & Harborside behind Willie G's!

(Photo notes: Mikie and Willie as we pull out of the dock behind Willie G's...see Will impressed when we get out near the rigs...Mondos on board... Mikie chooses a good seat next to the lifering!..)