Another Texas Reunion

The creative writing program at The University of Texas at Dallas publishes REUNION | The Dallas Review with a mission to cultivate the arts community in Dallas. My photo of Texas City Dike Picnic Pavilion I was picked up for issue 15.

Back in the early 1980s, Texas was my home for four years, particularly Galveston. Since then, I have returned from time to time for my own reunion with the state. The last time was 2024 which included a side trip to Texas City to explore the 5-mile-long Texas City Dike, which I had never visited. There, I discovered the concrete picnic pavilions that dotted the beach. They were the exact same design as the pavilions along the beach of Galveston Island State Park. I learned that Texas coastal authorities created this durable pavilion design to withstand harsh Gulf storms and hurricanes.