Here’s a Hurricane Ike photo of the Galveston Strand from the Galveston Historical Foundation‘s website.  Gives one pause, doesn’t it?  What’s really amazing, and just another example of why I love my state …. Texans are tough and get right back on that horse.  Every Christmas, the GHF puts on “Dickens on the Strand” … a great holiday event where people dress in Victorian costume, sing carols, shop, and experience a Victorian time traveling holiday.  The GHF has announced that Dickens will go on — work is underway to get the Strand cleaned up and ready.  Funds are needed to salvage the historic sites around the island that have been so devastated by the sea.  We’ve not gone in several years because, ironically, the event had become so popular that the crowds made it less enjoyable than in earlier years.  However, we may have to go “support” the restoration efforts by buying tickets this year.