By Ruth Ann Ruiz
The Post Newspaper Features Editor
What does an island need, especially an island famous for its pirate lore? How about an Egyptian pirate mashed up with Christmas? Galveston has been gifted with the delight of a woman who loves to dress up and share her creative spirit with others.
“When we were kids, we used to play dress up all the time, and I just love to keep dressing up,” explained Camila Morales, also known as CJ.
Camila was featured in The Post Newspaper earlier this year when she was developing an Ancient Egyptian theme. Since then, she has devoted herself to mashing a pirate with Ancient Egypt, and with the holidays here, she has added a festive Christmas twist to her daily pirate attire.
While out and about in her pirate attire, Camila is known to hand out pirate trinkets—which at this time of year include Christmas symbols such as jingle bell bracelets.
She is bringing delight to islanders with her flair for creating Christmas joy and magic through both her creative attire and her embracing personality.
“We love her and her beautiful, unique soul,” said Beth Henderson. “She’s a jewel.”
“She’s absolutely magical,” said Corinne of SunRay Patio. “You can’t help but smile when she’s around.”
While thousands of people joined hands on the seawall in September to honor documentation of the Seawall as the world’s longest walkway, CJ went from being a locally recognized figure to establishing herself as an island icon in the greater Houston area. Broadcast media scooped up the chance to have Galveston’s very own brightly clad pirate captured in their coverage of the event.
Rusty Carnes appreciates the gift of CJ to the island and her role in keeping the unique charm and lore of Galveston alive.
“No other city is like Galveston, and Camila is playing a big part in adding to that continued growth of places to visit for new things to discover and see. And you can only find her in Galveston, Texas,” said Carnes.
