< Previous30 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JANuArY 2023 Master Gardener Bill Spenny and Deputy Nina Gills work with inmates at the county jail, teaching them about growing vegetables while providing fresh produce to six local nonprofits. (Opposite) Kale grows from seeds at the sheriff’s garden. They’ll be planted in one of three plots on unused land behind the jail. COASTMONTHLY.COM | JANuArY 2023 31 GARDEN VARIETY PLANTING SEEDS Inmates learn about tilling land, growing food in sheriff’s program story and photos by BARBARA CANETTI G alveston County Sheriff Henry Troches- set is proud of a program developed at the county jail. Inmates who are trustees at the jail have the opportunity to help beautify county buildings, learn about growing vegetables and help members of disadvantaged communities get healthy with fresh food grown in the sheriff’s garden on Galveston Island. “This program is a win-win for Galveston,” Trochesset said. “The community gets fresh food and the inmates learn and contribute to the community. Everyone wins.” Deputy Nina Gills took over the 10-year-old program more than three years ago and has expanded the vegetable garden on unused land behind the jail. She has eight trustees as- signed to her work crew, which also is responsible for cutting the grass and esplanades surrounding the Criminal Justice Center on 54th Street and Broadway in Galveston. Landscap- ing, tree trimming and lawn maintenance by the inmates saves the county more than $1 million a year, Gills said. But the most enjoyable project is the vegetable garden. 32 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JANuArY 2023 GARDEN VARIETY That’s where trustees learn about growing, farming, cultivating and harvesting, Troches- set said. So far, trustees have planted three large plots. One is filled with tomatoes, another was used for a corn crop and the third is growing an array of vegetables, such as cabbage, cauliflower and herbs. The garden is reseeded in the spring and fall. When it comes time to harvest, inmates collect and weigh the crops. Last year, more than 1,000 pounds of fresh produce — to- matoes, cabbage, zucchini, beans, peppers and strawberries — were donated to six local nonprofits, which were Our Daily Bread, The Women’s Center, Ronald McDon- ald House, St. Vincent’s House, The Sunshine Center and H-Town Humanities. “They get so excited,” Gills said of the trustees. “It is so rewarding for them, too. Many of these guys never had a garden. One of the inmate workers said he didn’t know that you could grow stuff out of the ground. He thought you just went to the store to pick it up.” Low-risk inmates volunteer to help in the garden. Because many of them are awaiting trial, release or transfer to state prisons, the turnover for the team allows for many peo- ple to learn and experience gardening. The workers are involved in the process from the beginning and everything is a learning opportunity, Gills said. They learn about starting plants from seeds, they take turns reading aloud specific instructions for planting, they share in the preparation of starter pots and learn about proper watering and fertilizing techniques. Four years ago, Bill Spenny, a Galveston County Master Gardener, began volunteering with the group, offering advice, knowledge about soil and nourishing plants. He provides a steady supply of starter plants donated by the Galveston County Master Gardeners. The three plots are tilled regularly, weed- ed weekly and monitored for pests and insects. The trustees use very few chemicals in the garden, trying to grow as organically as possible. This year, they even grew corn, which is relatively difficult in this area. One of the plots is 60 feet long and has 92 toma- to plants. Nearby, an 80-foot plot already has 148 plants, including collards, kale, bok choy and herbs. The trustees also are planning to sow snap peas and basil. The program has been valuable to the incarcerated men. COASTMONTHLY.COM | JANuArY 2023 33 “I find peace and serenity to be connected to nature and the earth we live in,” said one inmate about his experience in the program. Another acknowledged the contributions he was making to the community. “It gives me a sense of accomplishment in knowing I’m helping contribute to local nonprofit organizations,” he said. “I enjoy passing the time learning about the process of gardening from the beginning to end.” Gills and Spenny hope to expand the garden and even create a flower garden outside the window of the jail, which would improve the sheriff’s view. But the best part of the program is the excitement the trustees exhibit when it comes time to harvest and donate the crops, Gills said. “To watch their faces every day is some- thing to see,” she said. “They watch these plants grow from something mundane to veg- etables. And they did all this work and now they are amazed at how it all came out.” For some, the program opens up a whole new world. “For some of these guys, it is something they had never seen and it is rewarding to them,” Gills said. “They get excited about giving it all away and appreciate when someone looks at them, smiles and says thanks. They did the work and it has made an impression in their lives.” The long-range plan is to offer many inmates a new set of job skills they can use when they’re released. Those skills might help them secure employment or perhaps plant their own garden at home, Gills said. “I really enjoy what I do,” she said. “If you had told me when I was going through the police academy that I would be in charge of mowing grass and planting vegetables, I would have died laughing at you. I would have never thought in my 26 years-plus of law enforcement that I would get paid to play in the soil.” One of three plots making up the sheriff’s garden is used to grow tomatoes (opposite) another is growing an array of vegetables, such as cabbage and bok choy (above). “This program is a win-win for Galveston. The community gets fresh food and the inmates learn and contribute to the community. Everyone wins.” HENRY TROCHESSETAnnounces NEW GAR PRESIDENT 2023 Board of Directors • Realtor of The Year Julie Greenwell, Sand ’N Sea Properties 2023 in-coming GAR President. 2023 Board of Directors: Carole Bell, Courtney Sapio, Julie Greenwell (President), Terry Rizzo, Diane Moore, Stacey Weber-Rubio, Greg Fountain (Past President) and Lisa Lisinicchia, Association Executive Past Presidents: David Bowers, Ingrid Gonzales, Andrea Sunseri, Lynn Winget, Tanya Jones, Robert Zahn and Greg Fountain ROBERT ZAHN, Coldwell Banker TGRE 2022 REALTOR® of the YEAR! A Very Special thank you to our 2022 Event Sponsors.TICKETS ON SALE NOW! TheGrand.com | 409.765.1894 THE GRAND 1894 OPERA HOUSE 2022–23 PERFORMING ARTS SEASON Saturday, January 24, 2023 | 8 PM Songs written and sung by Sam Cooke, the pioneer of soul music, are brought to new life by gifted musician Bradd Marquis! Entertaining and educational, this unique concert experience is loaded with soul-stirring musical hits such as “You Send Me” and “(What A) Wonderful World.” Saturday, January 21, 2023 | 8 PM Drink down the dulcet sounds of international phenomenon Pink Martini! Eclectic, energetic, and altogether unforgettable, this incredible live music experience is not to be missed.36 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JANuArY 2023 HOMEPORT ‘ALL ABOUT THE DETAILS’ East End island cottage buzzes with hidden design treasures story and photos by BARBARA CANETTI I t’s the little, intricate and beautiful things Susan Alexan- der incorporates in her surroundings that complete her island home. “Details make the difference,” Alexander said. She integrates new and old materials with memora- ble pieces that are recycled, reconditioned or salvaged. Alexander and her husband, Robert Clarke, purchased their four-bedroom East End historical house in 2010 as a weekend retreat from their Houston home. In 2018, they made the transition to full-time islanders and merged much of their home furnishings into their 1897 house. “That was home in Houston, this is home now,” she said. “We have moved into the second phase of our lives and moved a lot of our things from Houston.” They have renamed the house the Bee Cottage by the Sea, paying homage to their affinity for bumble bees and the subtle way they use them in the details of their home. The house, a favorite for home tours and showings, was built for August J. Henck, one of the developers of the seawall in Galveston. He had a friend who was a master plasterer and used Henck’s walls and ceilings as a showroom for his artwork. Much of it remains today. The large medallion above the Italian crystal chandelier in the front room, or ladies’ parlor, is diamond-shaped with leaves, artichokes and black-eyed Susans. All the ceiling me- dallions, each different, are original to the house. The one in the dining room above a Baccarat chandelier — with its one signature red crystal — is designed with grapes and other fruits. The crown molding in each room is unique because the plasterer tried out different designs. The fireplace in the ladies’ parlor — so named because the abundance of natural light aided women as they worked on their needlepoints — is wrapped in majolica tiles and Susan Alexander and Robert Clarke purchased their four-bedroom East End historical house in 2010 as a weekend retreat from their Houston home. They made the transition to full-time islanders in 2018. (Opposite) The stained-glass windows in the ladies’ parlor are original to the house. The original owner, August J. Henck, one of the developers of the sea- wall, wanted to give his wife everything, including the sun and the moon. COASTMONTHLY.COM | JANuArY 2023 3738 COASTMONTHLY.COM | JANuArY 2023 HOMEPORT plates collected by Alexander. The stained-glass windows — the sun and the moon — are original to the house. The story is Henck wanted to give his wife everything, including the sun and the moon. The focal point of the adjacent room, or the men’s parlor, which is separated from the front room by pocket doors to confine the cigar smoke, is a wooden chest Alexander’s father brought back from overseas after World War II. He was in the Mer- chant Marines and traveled consider- ably. His photo and other mementos hang in the hallway. The primary bedroom suite on the right side of the house is a comfort- able room carefully decorated by Al- exander, an interior designer. This had been Henck’s office and the fireplace in the room has majolica tiles depict- ing leaping frogs and cat tails. Because of her obsession with bees, Alexander found a way to sneak a little bee icon, statue or rendering in almost every room. Sometimes, you have to look hard to find them, but it’s those tiny details that she loves. In the primary bathroom, she separated the top of a large china cabinet from its base, using the upper part as a linen closet and reconfigur- ing the base as a double-sink vanity. The elegant Murano chandelier in the bathroom is made of opalescent glass to match the Sabino glass collection that belonged to her mother. The hallway has special details. Alexander hand-stenciled a design on the walls, using a special glaze. When it’s viewed from the right, the design is silver; when viewed from the left, it’s gold. “It’s magic,” she said. (Above) The focal point of the men’s parlor is a wooden chest Susan Alexander’s father brought back from overseas after World War II. He was in the Merchant Marines. (Opposite) The fireplace in the ladies’ parlor is wrapped in majolica tiles and plates collected by Alexander. COASTMONTHLY.COM | JANuArY 2023 39Next >