Wednesday, February 20th:  I spent part of today with Susan and Joan, driving around Jamaica Beach (the community just up the road from the park - and our mailing address is Jamaica Beach) and seeing how the other half lives!  Houses in this area cost upwards of one million dollars - and each house has its own waterfront.  Of course, there is the "poor" part, where houses might be valued at only three or four hundred thousand . . .  Developers have dredged canals through this area and then built these houses - each one has a sling with a boat underneath it. Every seven or eight years, a hurricane comes through and destroys - or at least damages - a lot of the houses - but the owners rebuild.  There were a handful of houses which had obviously not been totally rehabilitated since Hurricane Ike, but for the most part, the houses were gorgeous - and beautifully landscaped.  There are no commercial businesses at all in this area - nothing to mar the views, I guess . . .   Susan and Joan told me that we didn't actually get to the really, really rich section of the town! Jamaica Beach has seven police cars - and a total population of just under a thousand.  Yes, money obviously talks.  Those rich homes are well protected by the local constabulary.
Tonight, as usual, was choir practice - a great time, as usual!  Rob's friends JB and Jan are visiting - Jan came over to see me and give me a big hug just before Rob and I left for choir.  I'm hoping to spend some time with them tomorrow - rain is in the forecoast, so Susan, Joan, Rob, JB, Jan and I may go visit the Moody Mansion. Sounds lovely and mysterious, but it's really an old house that's been turned into a museum . . .

Right on the bay

No backyard - just ocean!

Just look at the size of this sucker!

Canals dredged from the ocean

Everybody gets a waterfront!

House shaped like a boat

Across the road from houses at the edge of town

Corner lot

Another view of the "boat" house