< Previous10 COASTMONTHLY.COM / November 2018From the EditorOne summer, when I was a teenager, I insisted on wearing Harley-Davidson T-shirts almost every day. I didn’t own a Harley, nor did anyone I knew. I got over that particular fashion phase — to the great relief of my parents — but to this day, a gleaming, rumbling Harley-Davidson still turns my head.There’s something alluring about the metal embodiment of power, speed, freedom and, perhaps, a little danger.Each November, tens of thousands of motor-cycle enthusiasts roll onto Galveston Island to mixed reviews. The rattle and hum of all that machinery is enough to send some islanders fleeing across the causeway as the motorcycles roar in. Other locals embrace the loudness, the leather and all the people-watching it entails. The people-watching alone makes the rally a must-see at least once.Sure, the rally attracts a few thuggish char-acters. Most mass gatherings of humans do. But, for the most part, the bikers of today, and the ones attending the Lone Star Rally, are doctors, dentists, lawyers and myriad other professionals who appreciate fine ma-chinery and can afford it. Some even use the event to raise money for charity.And, as you’ll find in these pages, more of those bikers are women seeking indepen-dence and adventure when they take to the open road.Some rally participants attend just for the chance to soak up the views of the upper Texas coast. Some, after visiting, decide to move to the island. That’s not such a bad thing.We wish everyone a safe, fun Lone Star Rally. And maybe a good pair of noise-can-celing headphones.LAURA ELDERCoast monthly editorWhen the island rattles and humsPhoto by Sumit SaurabhFor this shutterbug, the Lone Star Rally is a photographer’s delight.TIKI ISLAND930 LONG REACH | $799,000PIRATES LANDING TWNHMS103 JEAN LAFITTE COVE | $189,000PIRATES BEACH4102 FIDDLER CRAB LN. | $499,900SEA ISLE4018 HARDIN | $334,900JAMAICA BEACH16630 FRANCIS DRAKE | $299,000SUNSET COVE20715 E SUNSET BAY | $1,299,900PIRATES BEACH4207 FIDDLER CRAB LN. | $449,000TERRAMAR BEACH3722 LAGUNA | $599,000TERRAMAR22914 LUNES | $315,000PIRATES BEACH13826 MUTINY LN. | $499,000LAFFITES COVE13507 MOYENNE PL. | $1,299,000LAFFITES COVE3416 BINNACLE CT. | $325,000PIRATES BEACH13949 PIRATES BEACH BLVD. | $334,900BAHIA AZUL3806 TIDEWATER | $475,000• GAR 2014, 2015, 2016 MLS Committee Member• Accredited Buyer Representative - ABR• Seller Representative Specialist - SRS• Resort & Second Home Priority Specialist - RSPS• Notary PublicLINDA SIVY Realtor Associate WORKING PARTNER TO SUE JOHNSONGALVESTON ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS 2018 MLS CHAIRMANOVER 25 YEARS OF REAL ESTATE RELATED EXPERIENCE• Honored 7 times by the Houston Business Journal for Closed Transactions• Honored by H Texas Magazine• Honored by Heritage Texas Properties as 2013 - 2017 Top Producer• Honored by Heritage Texas Properties as Top Listing Agent & Most Closed Transactions Companywide in 2017• Nationally recognized as a Real Trends Top 250 Real Estate Professional for Closed Transactions & Dollar VolumeCONSISTENTLY RANKED AMONG THE TOP TWO PRODUCERS ON GALVESTON ISLAND FOR DOLLAR VOLUME & NUMBER OF CLOSED TRANSACTIONSOVER 45 YEARS OF REAL ESTATE EXPERIENCESUE JOHNSONBroker Associate, GRI 409.682.9050 sue@heritagetexas.com409.599.5847lsivy@heritagetexas.comPIRATES BEACH4106 FIDDLER CRAB LN. | $419,000JUST REDUCEDNEW LISTINGNEW LISTINGPIRATES COVE3638 FOREMAST | $549,00012 COASTMONTHLY.COM / November 2018ShorelinesEach year, tens of thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts roar onto Galveston Island for the Lone Star Rally. We asked on Facebook: What’s your favorite thing about the event?Photo provided by Keisha May HeckSo much muscle, jazz and power. A photographer’s de-light!– Sumit SaurabhThe rumble and roar of those cycles are just so exhilarating!– Bobbey WhiteHow quiet the island is after they all leave!– Beth ThomasLove checking out all the cool bikes!– Jacki Hart NielsenTexan bikers and the idea of all the good they do.– Wanda McWhorter HuddlestonAs a lifelong motorcyclist, I love the people-watching and checking out the custom bikes. I don’t do much shopping because leather halter tops and thongs really don’t show off my assets to their fullest. Other than a few hooligans revving their engines after hours, it’s all good.– Phil NewtonHow the population doubles in size, in a great way, for the weekend!– Dale WilliamsSome of those bikes are roll-ing pieces of art. Beautiful sculp-tures screaming and screeching their way to our island.– Lilly Van JonesI love the sound as the bikes begin rolling in a few days be-fore. Each year, I see something new and interesting, like this little guy (see photo).– Keisha May HeckFancy motorcycles with loud roars cruising The Strand, fancy leather outfits, people-watch-ing and checking out all the vendors, all while enjoying the island atmosphere.– Brenda Bumpas JohnstoneCan I say “babes in leather”?– Mark JohnstoneGreat people-watching!– Teffeny CarusoNothing!– Ellie PetersEverything!– Nadine HammondI’ve been to the rally three times, and I have been amazed at how well all those different clubs and people coexist for the weekend with minimal friction.Most of the local shop own-ers/employees that I have en-countered have been pleasant.– Cindy MooreWhen it’s over and our lovely sea sounds may again be heard!– MarthaJean TichyI like riding my bike down The Strand “gauntlet” with my wife on the back all dressed up in some wacky, wild outrageous costume. Then, walking around and checking out all the great unique “rolling” art.– Mike JanotaDon’t own a bike, never will own a bike, but love peo-ple-watching during the rally!– Leroy Naschke IIIThe riders, the vendors. They are all very nice people. I enjoy looking at the bikes and what everyone is wearing. It brings an excitement to the island.– Marilyn Taylor ZwirekBoy Scout Troop 123 earning money parking bikes at the Frost Bank parking lot.– Veronica HuggerBaytownWillowbrookTexas Medical CenterWest Houston-KatySugar LandThe WoodlandsClear LakeOUTSMARTING CANCER TAKES LEADING MEDICINE.At Houston Methodist Cancer Center, our teams of nationally recognized specialists are finding new ways to outsmart cancer, while delivering the most advanced treatments and comprehensive care available. From screenings to diagnosis and cutting-edge treatments, our leading cancer care is available at all seven locations across Greater Houston, so you can focus on healing, surviving and thriving.Visit houstonmethodist.org/outsmartcancer or call 281.333.8899to find a doctor in your area. Houston Methodist Cancer Center at Clear Lake2060 Space Park Dr., Suite 112 Nassau Bay, TX 7705814 COASTMONTHLY.COM / November 2018FeaturesIn the driver’s seatMore women than ever are riding motorcyclesStory by Barbara CanettiThere’s something about the liber-ating feeling of riding a motorcy-cle on the open road that’s hard to describe.But it’s a feeling an increasing number women of the upper Texas coast embrace. And they’re in good company.A 2016 Motorcycle Industry Council survey found that women account for 14 percent of all U.S. motorcycle owners, well up from the 8 percent reported in 1998.Of the 9.2 million owners, more of them are women than the council ever recorded.Stacy Smith, a Galveston hairstylist and Texas A&M University at Galveston mari-time student, has been riding motor bikes since she was 7. Her father bought her first all-terrain vehicle when she was growing up in Port Arthur, she said.“That was my first taste of riding and mo-tor sports,” Smith, 47, said. “I rode fast and I was hooked.”Smith graduated from that three-wheeler to a powerful black Kawasaki Ninja ZX1000.“Mine is a total race bike and super fast,” Smith said. “But I am an adrenaline junk-ie. And on those days when I am totally stressed out, this is the one thing that I want to do. I love the power and the speed of the bike and it makes everything fade away.”Smith likes to take weekend rides to Houston, Katy, Kingwood or out to Galves-ton’s West End or Surfside for lunch with a group of other riders.Michelle Pinder, Tamra Pool and Stacy Smith are avid bikers and enjoy riding together when they can in Galveston. The three women are looking forward to the Lone Star Rally in November.Photo by Kelsey Walling16 COASTMONTHLY.COM / November 2018Stacy Smith owns a black Kawasaki Ninja ZX1000. She loves the power and speed of the bike, she said.Photo by Stuart Villanueva COASTMONTHLY.COM / November 2018 17FeaturesOf course, the fear of accidents is always on her mind, she said.“But if I have a fall, I just get up and go again,” she said. “I’ve been a bit bruised and beat up, but I love riding so much that I always bounce back.”STRESS RELIEVERSmith’s friend, Tamra Pool, bought her first motorcycle more than a year ago. Although she lives in Beaumont, she makes weekly trips to Galveston on her Kawasaki Ninja ZX636, which is not the monster her friends have, but suitable for Pool’s purposes, she said.“I do three things to relieve stress: cardio exercises at the gym, visit the ocean or ride my bike,” Pool said. “I do two of them every time I come to Galveston and I am good for the rest of the week.”Pool likes to ride alone or with a group, but she’s very particular about who she rides with, she said.“I’m very picky,” Pool said. “I want to be with experienced riders who don’t weave in and out and are responsible. I don’t want to be with crazy riders.”On her first night ride alone, she felt such serenity looking at the ribbon of highway before her and the bright moon above, she said.“It was so peaceful and the closest thing I’ve felt to freedom,” she said.Pool, 48, takes precautions when she rides, she said. She wears a special padded riding jacket in the cooler months and a ven-tilated jacket for the summer, along with her helmet, she said. But she opts for lightweight yoga pants instead of durable jeans “because they are so comfy,” she said.Tamra Pool lives in Beaumont but makes weekly trips to Galveston on her Kawasaki Ninja ZX636. Pool bought her first bike more than a year ago.Photo by Kelsey Walling“I do three things to relieve stress: cardio exercises at the gym, visit the ocean or ride my bike. I do two of them every time I come to Galveston and I am good for the rest of the week.”– Tamra Pool18 COASTMONTHLY.COM / November 2018FeaturesAnd she loves the response people have when she tells them she rides a motorcycle.“’That is so hot!’ It is so funny to hear that reaction referring to me,” she said.‘MASTER OF MY OWN FATE’Cleo Etienne of League City bought her first motorcycle four years ago when she was 50. She took the safety class, got a motorcycle license and began riding her black-and-chrome Harley-Davidson Night Rod, she said.“There’s just nothing better than opening it up and riding,” said Etienne, who has worked for AT&T for 20 years and is working on earning her Master of Business Administration degree at Western Gov-ernors University. “I call my bike my ‘Black Angel.’ It is so awesome. When I am on my motorcycle, it is all about me. I am the master of my own fate. I just love and can’t imagine anything better.”Etienne likes to make day trips to San Antonio or Louisiana and often finds herself traveling in the fast lane, she said.“I’m not afraid to ‘open it up,’ but I won’t do anything dangerous,” she said. “I’m safe but not afraid of my bike.”Photos by Stuart Villanueva(Top) Cleo Etienne stands with her black-and-chrome Harley-Davidson Night Rod calls her “Black Angel.” (Above) Stephani Etienne, 8, plays with her Biker Barbie in front of her grandmother’s motorcycle. Stephani is too young to ride on motorcy-cles, her grandmother said.Exquisite HomesLaffite’s Cove, Galveston TX281.773.3477bjennings@greenwoodking.comBET JENNINGSTop performing realtor®in Houston & GalvestonSpecializing in the Pirates communities:Laffite’s Cove, Pirates Cove,Pirates Beach & Pirates Beach West A long-time resident of Laffite’s CoveDirector of Laffite’s Cove BoardPirates POA & West Galveston Island BoardGREENWOOD KINGPROPERTIESgreenwoodking.com3515 Cove Lane | $890,0003510 Windlass Court | $2,300,00013431 Binnacle Way | $1,120,00013839 Windlass Circle | $980,000Just Sold3515 Cove Lane | $890,0003510 Windlass Court | $2,300,00013431 Binnacle Way | $1,120,00013839 Windlass Circle | $980,000Just Sold281.773.3477bjennings@greenwoodking.comExquisite HomesLaffite’s Cove, Galveston TXNext >