It's life on the island, mon

My island home-away-from-home is at 59th and Broadway. A very open and airy design with only four floors makes the Galveston County Courthouse easy to navigate.

Palm trees. Lots of palm trees. You can't beat it.

Here's the money shot (looking west from the 4th floor.)

All I want is for someone to tell me what this strange structure across the street from the County Jail is. I think there was some kind of a factory on that land and that this was part of a machine. Someone? Anyone?