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Saturday, July 6, 2013

USS Flagship Hotel

Well shoot, what ya wanna talk bout today?

Speak'n of fireworks gone wrong, it was back in 1965 if'n I remember right. I lived in a little beach cottage in Galveston Texas one block off the sea wall. Along the sea wall was a bunch of piers extend'n out into the Gulf of Mexico. If'n ya ever been to Galveston, ya know what I'm talk'n bout. Tourist trap little shops sell'n trinkets, skimpy bikinis, sea shells....that kind of stuff. There was eat'n places where ya sit out over the water an' eat seafood. A big hotel. That hotel is the subject of today's discussion.

The name of that hotel was the Flagship Hotel. Brand spank'n new. Builded in 1965, 7 stories, 250 plus rooms...or something like that. If'n ya had a sack full of money to spend, this was the place to do it.

It was the 4th of July. This years fireworks display was scheduled to be set off from the pier of the Flagship Hotel at 9:30pm sharp. People lined the sea wall in anticipation....danc'n in the streets, drink'n beer an' stuff like that. Kids run'n round with little sparkle thingys scream'n at the top their lungs. I was perched on top my old '56 Ford across the street. Had me a perfect birds eye view of the festivities, close to the same angle as in the photo above.....safe from any form or sort of danger.

At 9:30 sharp, a burst of light goes off at the end of the pier. A hunnert (300 feet or so) into the air is a great explosion of little bitty stars fall'n back to earth in colors of red, white an' blue. The crowds break into shouts and screams of joy. For a full 5 minutes, the spectators are astonished with a display of ever kind of firework imaginable. But wait.....there's more.

The next round of fireworks was made ready. The crowds are tense. That's when the most amazing display you ever see takes place. There was shoot'n stars, huge explosions....white smoke filled the air.  The display had gone wrong. Done blowed slap up, right there on the pier. Workers could be seen jump'n into the waters below. Others were run'n in all direction for their dear lives. Me, I was climb'n down off'n that old Ford lickity split, tak'n cover while fireworks was explod'n all around me. That was the most amazing fireworks display I ever see in my whole life.

In other displays of explosions gone wrong around the world, Egypt erupts into violence....all in the name of freedom.

In case anybody is curious, this is how you modify shoes. Ya see, my right shoe wouldn't stretch far enough to be comfortable and not cause the old Billy Bob foot an' mouth disease (pain). So's I removed the little piece of leather that holds them together.

Now they stretch.

15 comments:

  1. Not anything left of the original Flagship after the last hurricane. We used to go fishing off the Flagship pier! Good spot!

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  2. Congratulations on your brilliant shoe modification. Now, the question is: do they feel comfortable? I'd better take another look at my sneakers. I only wear them when I do my walking - just a mile a few times a week. You may need to get a patent on your idea!

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  3. Wow, B.B, you sure can fix ANYTHING, even shoes.

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  4. Thanks for the stroll down memory lane about The Flagship. Spent lots of time down in Galveston, although I never stayed at The Flagship. Preferred The Commodore on the Beach in later years. Loved sitting on my balcony people-watching and wandering around The Strand. Used to be an old army surplus store; ran across some real jewels in there.

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  5. Sure would have been an awesome fireworks display for sure.
    Hmmm, usre wish I still had my '56 ford.

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  6. I actually went to the amusement park that was there before the Hotel. Gadds I am old.

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  7. My second wife and I got married in Galveston many years ago and spent our first anniversary in the flagship. I'd just restored the falcon so we decided to take it to Galveston. Me and the little misses was sitting on the balcony enjoying the view and about 30 minutes later an old fart driving a new Mustang convertible pulled up and registered. He had a young good looking babe with him. Well about 30 minutes after that my wife said there goes an ashtray... Yep it was and was sailing like a Frisbee straight through the back window of the falcon. I looked over at the a balcony a few rooms down from us and there was the old fart and his babe. (only other people out on a balcony besides us.) I assume they weren't smokers and the old fart decided to impress his mistress by sailing the ashtray out in to the gulf. It just didn't make it.

    I went down to the desk and complained and they said they would pay for having the window replaced and I also called the police. A police officer showed up and filled out a report. He was taken with the falcon and it sort of pissed him off to. Anyway about 30 minutes later the old fart and his babe had checked out and was hauling butt out of there. I guess he was afraid his wife was going to get wind of the damage and maybe find out about his sugar babe? After they left the hotel manager said they would only pick up the room tab for three days and wouldn't replace the window. Hurricane Ike got revenge for me though. Good riddance Flagship Hotel!

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    1. At least you were able to see who the culprits were...some people never get to. Even though they only picked up the tab for three days, it was better than nothing.

      I never stayed there but I know it wasn't cheap. Yep, Hurricane Ike took care of the Flagship Hotel among a lot of other things like the chimney and trees in my house in Houston.

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  8. Firework displays gone wrong seems to be something that lingers in ones mind for a long while from what I have observed.

    Bet it was neat living one block from the seawall at that time. The things you must have witnessed!

    Glad your "shoe modification" turned out well :)

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  9. In other displays of explosions gone wrong around the world, Egypt erupts into violence....all in the name of freedom.
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