< Previous58 COASTMONTHLY.COM | ApriL 2025 HOMEPORT p HOTOS: COU r TESY MYLES ST r ANE p HOTOG r A p HY COASTMONTHLY.COM | ApriL 2025 59 and friends, yet cozy and comfort- able for the couple. The Prices have owned a Galves- ton house for more than a decade, but with an eye on retirement living in their future, they decided to move into a home with a great view of the Gulf and with all the amenities they would want for their golden years. They opted to put the primary bedroom on the upper level, but had an elevator installed “just in case,” Amy said. Because they live in the house full time, they had an enormous closet and primary bath- room designed, as well as a private porch outside their bedroom for cocktails and sunsets. The spacious living area, with a gas-burning fireplace and a glass wall of windows and doors, is deco- rated with touches of the beach but mostly with items the couple liked. “I call it Palm Beach meets Nan- tucket style,” she said. Their builder, Alta Vista, hired Galveston cabinetmaker Mel Espinoza to build cupboards, breakfronts, buffets and shelving custom-made for the house. Most of the living area is decorated in muted colors, with bold splashes of coral on cabi- nets, kitchen fixtures, living room tables and couch pillows. A pair of smiling camels doubles as end tables and two giant Asian-themed murals hang in the expansive walls of the stairs. They were 8-foot lengths of wallpaper Amy purchased from a designer’s estate and had them framed. “She is not afraid of color,” said John, referring to his wife’s choices in decorations. “They are whimsical and interesting.” The couple wanted a kitchen that was functional and felt there was no need for a separate, formal p HOTOS: COU r TESY MYLES ST r ANE p HOTOG r A p HY (From top) The primary suite on the third level allows for more privacy and a better view; the spacious primary bathroom. (Opposite, from top) The dining area features a light-colored wood table with seating for eight; the sleek, black island bar, where Amy and John Price usually sit for their meals, contrasts the white countertops along the back wall of the kitchen; the simple yet functional kitchen features custom cabinets in a combination of white and warm natural woods.60 COASTMONTHLY.COM | ApriL 2025 HOMEPORT dining room. Instead, they placed a light-col- ored wood table in the center of the room with seating for eight, although they usually sit at the island bar for many meals, they said. The custom cabinets are a combination of white and warm natural woods, and the countertops are sleek black on the island and bright white along the wall. One of the benefits of a third-floor living space is the ability to raise the ceiling to 12 feet, which is difficult to do on the bed- room level because of the additional weight and abundance of walls in each room, Mullican said. To accommodate the high ceilings, Mullican designed stationary transoms over the doors to fill the wall space and draw attention to the wood beams above. And, because the large room has no obstructions, it allows for great views from every spot, as well as access to the full-length porch in front of the house. Nestled into a nook between bedrooms is an office that John uses in his business as an oil and gas consultant. The third-level balcony offers Gulf views. (Left) The entry foyer, secondary bedrooms and media room are on the second level. “We love living here. This is much better than commuting.” JOHN PRICE COASTMONTHLY.COM | ApriL 2025 61 Perhaps one of the surprises in the house is the fourth level belvedere-like room — where the couple has installed fitness equipment — with great views of the water. “Not a bad place to work out,” John said. Because the Prices live in the house full time, they chose to protect themselves against power outages by installing a series of 24 solar panels on two roofs. During the power outage after Hurricane Beryl in July 2024, the West End was with- out power. Their system’s battery clicked on “almost immediately” and they never lost electricity during the outage, John said. The Prices had been commuting to Galveston from The Woodlands, but are much happier living full time at the beach, he said. “We love living here,” he said. “I’m a water sports fan — surfing, kite boarding. This is much better than commuting.” Island life suits them, Amy agreed. “Galveston has so much to offer,” she said. “We love the beach lifestyle.” “Galveston has so much to offer. We love the beach lifestyle.” AMY PRICE p HOTOS: COU r TESY MYLES ST r ANE p HOTOG r A p HY62 COASTMONTHLY.COM | ApriL 2025 GARDEN VARIETY REAP WHAT YOU SOW Planting seeds is both cost-effective and rewarding for gardeners story by BARBARA CANETTI N othing says spring like a colorful garden of flowers. And if you’re wanting that spring-summer foliage, now is the time to plant the seeds for a vibrant and wel- coming garden. Of course, it’s easy to purchase trans- plants to fill in bare areas after winter freezes left burrows of brown spots in the flower beds. But a more cost-effective and equally rewarding method is to buy seeds, design a plan and plant a variety of species and colors. “I make my selections based on longevity,” said Stacey Phil- lips, a Friendswood gardener and Galveston County Master Gardener since 2017, who favors perennial plants that come back year after year. “I expect them to be there a while.” The list of colorful flowers that do well along the Gulf Coast is long. The benefit of perennials is they only have STUA r T V i LLANUEVA COASTMONTHLY.COM | ApriL 2025 63 p HOTOS: COU r TESY STACEY p H i LL ip S p HOTOS: COU r TESY HE r MAN AUE r (Clockwise from top left) Marigolds, with their daisy- or carnation-like flower heads, attract all manner of pollinating insects into the garden. These fragrant flowers bloom in all shades of yellow, orange and red; zinnias are some of the easiest wildflowers to grow, adding their bright, cheerful color to any sunny spot with enthusiasm, according to the Texas Master Gardener Association. These annuals are long blooming and very prolific. The more you cut for bouquets, the more flowers your plants will produce. They’re also monarch butterfly magnets; purple coneflower (echinacea purpurea) is a hardy, perennial featuring daisy-like flowers with pronounced central cones. Its blooms range from vibrant pink to purple. They attract a plethora of pollinators, including bees, butterflies and hummingbirds; larkspurs feature showy, light blue, blue, purple or white flowers arranged along the tops of erect stalks growing 1 to 3 feet tall. They’re easy to grow and attract bees. The flowers make excellent fresh cut or dried arrangements.64 COASTMONTHLY.COM | ApriL 2025 GARDEN VARIETY to be planted once; they go dormant in the winter and return the following spring. They can live for decades and many can be prop- agated or divided and replanted elsewhere in the garden. Examples of perennials for the upper Texas coast are coneflowers, baby’s breath, lark- spur, daisies, coreopsis, crimson clover, four o’clocks and salvias. They come in a wide variety of colors and sizes; some also are con- sidered invasive and need proper monitoring. Several categories of flowers are classified as perennials/annuals, depending on the variety. Some return each year and some require starting over. Marigolds and phlox — both hardy additions to any garden — might need to be reseeded in the spring, depend- ing on their classification. Coneflowers and zinnias — some of the most colorful blooms in any garden — are annuals and must be reseeded or transplant- ed each year. Phillips, who has been a gardener since she was 4 years old with help from her grandmother, also has a Santa Fe landscape design company called Sunshine Designs. She recommends selecting pollinators in the garden to attract bees and butterflies. “Everyone wants their garden to be beau- tiful, but select those plants that are good performers,” Phillips said. “I am always trying something new, revamping to make more space.” Recently, she has been focused on growing varieties of roses because she likes to cut the flowers and take them into her house, she said. Most experts suggest waiting until after the last frost to plant seeds, usually in March or early April. Select a sunny spot because most flowers like full sun for at least six hours a day. Hand scatter the seeds and mix them with sand to evenly distribute them. They don’t need to be more than ¼ inch below the top. Sow a round of seeds every week or so for several weeks to extend the flowering peri- od. Design a plan — one type of flower in each zone or blend several types of flowers together for an interesting, multi-colored display. Space plants 4 to 24 inches apart, depending on variety. Keep the soil moist until the seeds start sprouting; water them during the hot hours of the day daily. Seedlings will start showing within a week, but blooms won’t start for several weeks or months. Some species take about 70 days from seed to bloom. Once they start to bloom, cut off the old flowers, a process called deadheading, to encourage more flowers to form. The kalei- doscope of color could remain in the garden through October. And it’s easy to harvest seeds from many flower varieties, using them in the next plant- ing cycle for a colorful garden next year. Butterfly friendly plants usually produce clusters of brightly colored sweet-smelling flowers and include asters, daisies, butterfly bush, butterfly weed, lantana, marigolds, purple coneflowers and zinnias, according to Galveston County Master Gardeners. COU r TESY STACEY p H i LL ip S COASTMONTHLY.COM | ApriL 2025 65 ADVErTiSiNG FEATUrE: GOOD EATS66 COASTMONTHLY.COM | ApriL 2025 HOOKED SEASON OF SAND AND SHELL In April, hit the spots where soft and hard collide story and photos by CAPT. NATE SKINNER W ith April underway, two local features should become the focus of all anglers — sand and shell. Sandy bottoms and oyster shell reefs are going to be holding plenty of baitfish and predatory gamefish as water temperatures continue to climb. Stretches with scattered shell littered across sandy flats will be pro- ductive, too, and the rod-bending action will become more and more consistent as the month wears on. April always has been one of my favorite months to wade fish along the upper coast. The key to a productive wading session is finding concentrations of baitfish such as mullet and glass minnows. It’s a rule that speckled trout and redfish will be wherever the bait fish are. The first time I went wade fishing was one April with a buddy in East Galveston Bay. That trip changed my life. More than 20 years later, I remember it like it was yesterday. Just about every speckled trout and redfish I caught that day struck my lure just as I began to feel scattered oyster shell underneath my wading boots along the sandy bay bottom. It was an excellent lesson in how wade fishing can help you feel subtle changes along the floor of the estuary that are influencing where the fish are staging to feed. Drift fishing from a boat is another great way to catch fish during April. Moderate to gusty winds typically prevail this time of year, and they will push your boat across the water’s surface quickly. (Right) Wade fishing allows anglers to feel changes along the bay bottom and home in on exactly where stretches of sand and shell meet. COASTMONTHLY.COM | ApriL 2025 67Next >