A little Galveston Goth

St. Patrick Catholic Church in Galveston, built in 1877. According to the historical marker out front, after the great hurricane of 1900, the US Army Corps of Engineers ordered buildings to be raised. The church was lifted and placed atop a new five foot high foundation.

Why St. Patrick, you ask? The congregation on the west end of the island was predominately Irish, that's why.

This example of Gothic architecture is Grace Episcopal Church. The building was dedicated in 1895 and it, too, survived the 1900 hurricane.

Island grub

I spent a good deal of time down on the island this week as I had a couple of settings on Tuesday plus a client on the afternoon jail docket. Since I was down on the island for lunch I thought I'd try someplace new. When I left the jail I asked an attorney I knew what he recommended. His reply? Leo's.

I was game - especially when I looked it up on my phone and saw they served Cajun food. The day was looking good.

Now Leo's (on 32nd and Broadway) is fairly nondescript inside - it looks like an ordinary lunch room. I ordered a big bowl of jambalaya and three boudin balls along with a sweet tea. Not wanting to waste any more of a beautiful day inside, I sat outside on the side patio.

I took a bit of the jambalaya and couldn't help but notice the intense smokiness of the dish. It wasn't big on heat or spice but it had a good flavor. I knew they didn't use andouille sausage but I figured whatever they used was smoked on the smoker in the back of the parking lot. While the jambalaya was tasty, the boudin balls left a little bit to be desired (the best I've ever had came from Ragin' Cajun on Richmond Avenue).

When I went inside to get a refill of tea I asked the guy behind the counter what kind of sausage they used. He told me they used a beef sausage. I then asked him if they made it or just smoked it. It turns out that Leo's makes their own sausage.

It wasn't the best meal I've ever had but it was good and it was affordable and I'll be back.

Except during the hours of ...

Apparently not this morning as the doors to the courtroom for the 212th Judicial District Court were locked at 11:30 am.

On the other hand, the quote on the right hand door is one that we should all vow to follow every day, not only in our practice, but in our lives.

"Do the right thing and risk the consequences." -- Sam Houston

Galveston to ban driving while texting

Well it certainly didn't take Galveston long to ban motorists from texting while driving. The island city made it a Class C misdemeanor to the use "wireless communication devices to view, send or compose an electronic message" while driving. Of course that does lead to the question "What is driving?"

Violators will be subject to a fine of up to $500.

The new ordinance will go into effect ten days after publication in the local paper (approximately January 27, 2010) which should be this Sunday.

See also:

"New advocacy group seeks to ban cell phone use when driving" The Defense Rests (Jan. 13, 2010)