The Wolves on Galveston Island

As I was planning this painting, my memory drifted back forty years ago to the early 1970’s when I was all alone at daybreak on this same empty beach. I was watching the sun rise through all the beautiful colors in the early morning sky on the East Beach of Galveston Island. I began to feel like someone was watching me. Slowly I turned my head and was stunned to see in the dunes nearby three coyotes, sitting on their haunches, watching me. There eyes were sparkling in the early morning rays of the sun. As we stared in wonder at one another, one rose and turned to leave and I knew instantly that it was not a coyote, but a Red Wolf. I was stunned, since they were supposed to be extinct in Texas. They appeared to be not quite yet grown and were probably siblings. Thus began my fifteen year relationship with three Red Wolves on the east end area of Galveston Island.  

At that time, we lived in Austin, but I came to Galveston frequently on business. I had grown up in the brush country of Southwest Texas and was very familiar with coyotes. I knew the difference between the appearance of a coyote and a wolf. On each trip to Galveston, I would search for them at daybreak on the east end near the ship channel. Nearly every trip I would see them and they would see me.  

After a few years we moved to Houston and I continued doing business in Galveston and on each trip, I would search for them and saw them frequently. By now, they seemed to know me and would not run away if I should stop my car nearby. I watched them grow and mature into full grown wolves. Early one morning, I was entering Galveston on Harbor Shore Drive and was surprised to see them trotting along the railroad tracks near the ship docks.  

In 1985, we bought a condo at The Galvestonian Condominium on the east beach. We would often stay there on weekends. When staying there, early in the mornings, I would get up before daybreak and search for them. By then, they were showing the signs of aging. One had a floppy ear now and there was a lot of grey on their faces. 

Early one morning, just at daybreak, I walked out on the balcony of our condo on the ninth floor and was stunned to see them lying down in the weeds and grass on a dune nearby. (There is a huge condo building there now where they were lying in the dunes.) They stayed there all day. I watched them as they watched all the activity on the beach. Hidden in the dunes, they watched the young mothers sitting in beach chairs overseeing their toddlers playing in the sand. They watched the people going by taking their fancy little dogs for their morning walks. They watched the joggers going by. Later in the afternoon, some young girls took a sunbath on their beach towels right in front of them. None of these people had any idea that three wolves were nearby watching their every move.