Hello Friends!
I hope you’re having a good week! This rain has me wanting to turn on the fireplace and get lost in a good book. It doesn’t help that I’m doing my best to stay focused and not daydream about my upcoming vacation, which is only seven days away. Yes, just seven days until I’ll be flying across the pond to Greece! This trip has been planned since last summer, so it’s a little surreal that the time is finally almost here.
Now… story time…
When my kids’ Papu passed away, his cremated remains were sent to us since we’re next of kin, and the rest of the family lives in Greece. The plan has always been to take him back to Greece, but I recently realized that I need the cremation certificate along with all the other required documentation.
Don’t judge, but we’ve kept Papu in the original shipping box since we’ll eventually be traveling with him. Also, when he arrived, things got a little weird. Papu’s name was Nicholas—pretty much how it goes in their Greek family. If you’re a male, there’s a good chance you’re named Nicholas. Papu showed up the day before Hurricane Nicholas made landfall. Do you think that was a coincidence? Maybe.
Before Papu passed away, he’d send the kids letters and allowance money every month. After one letter was stolen, he switched to electronic payments but still mailed a letter with a single $1 bill. This is the part where things get a little weird… Papu arrived the day before Hurricane Nicholas hit our area. The morning after the hurricane, I opened our front door and found $1 bills scattered all over our yard. I immediately told the kids, “Papu showed up in a hurricane and brought your allowance.” Is this still a coincidence? Possibly.
Since then, almost every time Papu gets moved, the Ring doorbell or alarm randomly goes off. I’ve been a little concerned, so we never opened the box—until now.
So of course, I told my daughter’s boyfriend that, as part of his official family initiation, he needed to open the box and look for the cremation certificate. After he opened it, we casually filled him in on all the things that tend to happen when Papu gets moved around… He very quickly declined my suggestion to take Papu home for a few days since he was the one who opened the box.
And as it turns out, Papu won’t be heading back to Greece just yet because he’s still got some pending paperwork to work through. If you’d like to spend a few days with Papu, I’m sure he’d appreciate the vacation…
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What Happened to Painted Tree Vendors & How You Can Help
Painted Tree was a boutique marketplace that rented spaces to local vendors. Last week, it unexpectedly closed all 55+ locations across the country, leaving vendors without a place to call home—and even worse, without money owed to them from sales and security deposits. Now more than ever they need our support.
These vendors are part of our community, and many are already working to rebuild and find new spaces. If you’ve shopped with them before, consider following your favorite vendors, shopping online, and continuing to support them. Many are still uncertain about their next steps, they need our support now more than ever.
Now is the time to show up for Painted Tree Vendors because they need us. 💛
I received some emails from local vendors and want to share them with you.
Eze Llanes was a Painted Tree vendor at the Webster and Kingwood locations. His company, Dragon Boy, LLC, features his creative product line both in-store and online.
You can also shop his work at dragonboy.com, and find him in person at the Texas Renaissance Festival, where he operates two spaces during its eight-weekend run each year. In addition, he regularly participates in pop-up markets and community events, including school carnivals, baseball and softball opening day events, and more. You can find his social media links on his webpage.
Eze is currently a college student at the University of Houston’s Bauer College of Business, studying Entrepreneurship. He is also a graduate of Clear Creek High School.
Liliana Silva had a vendor space selling women’s boutique clothing at Painted Tree – Baybrook. You can also shop with her online at www.livebykboutique.com or follow along on Facebook at @livebykboutique and in the Live By K Boutique VIP Group.
If you prefer to shop in person, you can also find her at The Bonny Bluebird Co-op, 319 E Main St, La Porte, TX 77571.
Angela Farrington is a former Painted Tree vendor and the owner of Farrington’s Boutique / Sugaraddicts where she sells freeze-dried candy along with a variety of boutique items. She also offers an online shopping site at farringtonsboutique.com, where customers can browse and purchase her products.
Over the upcoming weeks, she will be adding more items to her website as she works through her inventory from her Painted Tree locations.
Brittany is a former Painted Tree- Baybrook vendor. She owns Luna + Mar Baby Co., a baby and toddler boutique that focuses on stylish, modern clothing for little ones.
She also specializes in milestone cards and announcements for NICU, IVF, adoption, and surrogacy families, which really ties into her personal story. She started the business after giving birth to her daughter at 23 weeks and spending five months in the NICU with her.
You can shop her boutique online at shoplunaandmar.com, and she’s also on Instagram at @shoplunaandmar and Facebook under Luna + Mar Baby Co.
These are our neighbors and local small business owners—let’s show up and support them when they need us most!
Interested in advertising or sponsorship? Reach out—we’d love to chat. [email protected]
Local Upcoming Events
Thursday, April 23rd
Open Play- Bring Quarters
11:00am to 3:00pm
La Brisa in League City
Open Mic
6:00pm to 9:00pm
902 Marina Bay Dr, Clear Lake Shores
6:00pm to 9:00pm
707 Highway 146, Kemah
Scotty’s Pub on the Bay
Singo Bingo
Starts at 6:30pm
3202 FM-2094, League City
Friday, April 24th
7:00pm to 11:00pm
707 Highway 146, Kemah
Barge 295- On The Barge
Leo Mendoza
Starts at 7:00pm
2613 ½ NASA Pkwy, Seabrook
Karaoke Night
7:00pm to 10:00pm
902 Marina Bay Dr, Clear Lake Shores
8:30pm to 12:00am
1053 Marina Bay Dr, Kemah
Saturday, April 25th
Barge 295- On The Barge
Leo Mendoza
Starts at 3:00pm
2613 ½ NASA Pkwy, Seabrook
7:00pm to 11:00pm
707 Highway 146, Kemah
8:30pm to 12:00am
1053 Marina Bay Dr, Kemah
Sunday, April 26th
Barge 295- On The Barge
Leo Mendoza
Starts at 3:00pm
2613 ½ NASA Pkwy, Seabrook
5:00pm to 9:00pm
707 Highway 146, Kemah
Monday, April 27th
Find a Painted Tree Vendor to support!
Tuesday, April 28th
Singo Bingo
5:00pm to 9:00pm
902 Marina Bay Dr, Clear Lake Shores
6:00pm to 9:00pm
707 Highway 146, Kemah
Wednesday, April 29th
New Horizon Free Weekly Networking Group
12:00pm to 1:00pm
2710 Gulf Freeway South, League City
6:00pm to 9:00pm
707 Highway 146, Kemah
Trivia Night
7:00pm to 9:00pm
902 Marina Bay Dr, Clear Lake Shores
If you have a local event to share, send us the information. [email protected]
Farmers Market Guide
Follow us on social media for weekly updates on other local farmers markets.
Bay Area Houston Weekly Forecast
Wed, Apr 22: Mostly cloudy with showers/thunderstorms — 76° / 67°
Thu, Apr 23: Clouds with a thunderstorm chance — 83° / 70°
Fri, Apr 24: Sun & clouds with spotty storms — 85° / 73°
Sat, Apr 25: Warm, humid — 89° / 72°
Sun, Apr 26: Breezy and humid — 87° / 74°
Mon, Apr 27: Warm & humid, morning storm — 87° / 72°
Tue, Apr 28: Sun, clouds, warm & humid — 89° / 73°
Wed, Apr 29: Humid with sun/cloud mix — 88° / 70°
Classic Bay Area Houston forecast: dress for summer, pack for monsoon, and hope for the best.
Stay Local. Stay Connected.
Do you love local finds as much as we do? Follow us on social media and tag us in your favorite local spots for a chance to be featured in our weekly newsletter.
Spot construction or a new development? Sent us a message and we’ll dig up the details! Know a hometown person or business that deserves a spotlight? Send us the details! Have something you’d love to see each week? Send us your suggestions, and we’ll do our best to make it happen. 🐝[email protected]
Just remember, we’re only human, but we’ll do our best to make this your newsletter.
The Galveston Bay Buzz 🐝
Jessica Johnson
Publisher/Founder
If you’re a local photographer and would like the opportunity to feature your local photos in an upcoming newsletter, please send them to [email protected].
We’d love to showcase your work!