size 3

 

On the tarp outside the bounce house, shoes await their owners after a jumping spree.  Some pairs are jumbled hither and yon but this pair was neatly placed -- probably by mama.

 

Garden & Arts Fall Festival

Lubbock, Texas

9.13.2014

peaceful rest

 



On the peaceful shore of Lake Ontario lies a small cemetery which contains 77 graves of  soldiers, women and children who served or lived at Fort Ontario from the French and Indian War to World War II.  The Post Cemetery is situated on the grounds of Fort Ontario. The original Fort Ontario was erected in 1755, during the French and Indian War to bolster defenses already in place at Fort Oswego, near a trading post established in 1727.  In 1759, after being destroyed by the French a second British fort was constructed at this same location. The fourth and current Fort Ontario is built on the ruins of three earlier fortifications used during the Revolutionary War and War of 1812.  It was occupied by the U.S. Army through World War II.  From 1944 to 1946 the fort served as the only refugee camp in the United States for mostly Jewish victims of the Nazi Holocaust under an Executive Order from President Franklin D. Roosevelt.  I enjoyed reading the history of the fort but it was closed when I visited.  The cemetery was open until dusk and provided a calm respite after a long day.

 

Fort Ontario

Oswego, New York

9.26.2014

so many red barns....too little time

 

Upstate New York is preparing for a gorgeous fall -  I was just there too early as the trees were just starting to turn.  The days were warm, the air was crisp, the sky was blue -- and I was indoors working!  This barn was adjacent to the Oswego Airport where we held training.  A couple of quick shots as we drove to class one morning was all the time I had.  Red barns were everywhere -- but too little time, too much traffic and other woes.  A great place to come back to.

 

Fulton, Oswego County, New York

9.26.2014

Oswego courthouse

 

I love this old tow with all its church spires, towers and turrets!  The Oswego Courthouse was built in 1859.  The domed cupolas join the other structures that pinpoint the town above the trees.  The Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. Osewgo was a settlement in 1722 and Fort Ontario was built by the British in 1755.  Hard to imagine that kind of history when Lubbock was incorporated in 1909!

Oswego, New York

a lotta bull

Art in Texas abounds with cow sculptures -- from the Dallas' Cattle Drive Pioneer Plaza to Lubbock's Ranching Heritage Center.  But sometimes one finds art in the middle of nowhere, out standing in a field --like the "Brindle Bit Bull" found where County Road 236 meets Hwy 380 in Throckmorton County.  For miles, as you drive the lonely road, you wonder "what is that up ahead."  And then you see it - the "World's Largest Steel Longhorn."  It  was created in 2011 by Joe Barrington, who also made the World's Largest Buffalo Skull in Abilene. At 22 feet, this rusty bull dwarfs Lubbock "Purple Bull" (see August 13, 2014 post).  When you have opportunity to travel between Throckmorton and Haskell, keep an eye out for the bull wearing the Brindle Bit brand -- and you will know it's a bull, not a steer, by the equipment.

 

Highway 380

Throckmorton County, Texas

4.25.2014

downtown

 

Lubbock has lots of sky but few skyscrapers.  This view westward down Main Street is from 916 Main whose 12 stories classify it as a "high-rise" rather than a skyscraper.  Only the Metro Tower, formerly known as the Great Plains Life Building, with its 20 stories is a skyscraper.  Building plans for the Lubbock National Bank began in 1939, to be built on the site of a former open-air theater.  A new brick company made bricks from the local soil for the structure which cost approximately $400,000.  LNB eventually moved to a newer building down the street and 916 Main housed a procession of banks before being acquired by Lubbock County for office space.  Lubbock boasts open spaces and even downtown skyscrapers can't obstruct the view.

 

916 Main

Lubbock, Texas

 

Lubbock Riverwalk

 

 

Remember  talk about the Lubbock Riverwalk  about 20 years ago?  Yellow House Canyon is generally called a draw and is hardly noticeable until central Lubbock County, just north of Lubbock. From there it continues southeast through the north and east sections of the city. Within the city limits of Lubbock, Yellow House Canyon remains a narrow and shallow channel with a typical width of less than a third of a mile. The City of Lubbock constructed a series of small dams that form a series of narrow lakes, collectively known as Canyon Lakes. he Canyon Lakes area is six miles long, covers 2,000 acres of land stretches from the North Loop at the Berl Huffman complex all the way down to Dunbar Historical Lake off MLK Boulevard. In the 1990s a "Lubbock Riverwalk" was proposed to link the six lakes by boat, trails, and bridges.  The $75 million  project would bring visitors to Lubbock -- just like San Antonio.  Alas, the idea never got off the ground.  Without improvements, most of the canyon is dry but 11 days of recent rains have literally made a river  that would support a tourist trail.  Looking north, the view is quite scenic;  under the interstate overpasses going to Mackenzie park is not as picturesque!!

Lubbock Canyon Lakes
Lubbock, Texas

rainy season

 

We finished class early enough today that I could have taken the trolley to the beach -- but honestly, who would want to get out in this rain!  Tis the rainy season in Florida with afternoon showers which today are downpours.

south florida style

 

Me?  What am I wearing in Fort Lauderdale?  Capris and flipflops!

I'm here!

 

This sign near the hotel caught my eye.  I can't tell if the place is a costume shop or a comedy club -- it has listings for both.  In any case, I'm here in Fort Lauderdale and not in the mental ward -- yet!

 

1931 S. Federal Highway

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

walkin' in the rain - head down in shame

 

The past few days of clouds and rain reminded me of this photo.  It appeared this pooch was embarrassed to be seen -- either because of the owner's get-up or that awful pink doggie raincoat.

 

Tucson, Arizona

2.27.2014

still life:  metal box and chain

 

Fortenberry Shop

New Deal, Texas

pop in the shop

 

Fortenberry Shop

New Deal, Texas

junior picasso

 

This young artist enjoyed making his mark on a large canvas.  Despite a drizzly start, the 44th Annual Fall Arts & Crafts Festival was a success.

 

Garden & Arts Center

4215 University

Lubbock, Texas

doc -- the farm dog

 

Fortenberry Shop

New Deal, Texas

 

be happy

 

The neon sign at the Blue Light advises you to "be happy."  Happy hour here would make you happy; unfortunately for the mature crowd, happy hour for the college kids begins about bed time at 10 p.m.  Located in the Depot District, buildings along the former Avenue H were commercial hot spots during the 30s and 40s.  During those days "be happy" was probably a coke at this former drug store.

 

Blue Light

1806 Buddy Holly Avenue

Lubbock, Texas

intercession

Near the San Xavier, a path winds up a hill to a holy place. The shrine was originally set up by Bishop Granjon in 1908 and dedicated to the Virgin Mary who is an intercessor of prayers to God. The shrine is a replica of the famous grotto in Lourdes, France. On the wrought iron "prayer fence" candles, ribbons, photos and hand written notes are attached.  It is a touching sight, representing human hopes, fears, sorrows - and reportedly, a few miracles.

 

Grotto Hill

San Xavier del Bac Mission

Tucson, Arizona

2.27.2014

naked ladies

 

The proper name is Lycoris radiate but these exotic flowers may also be known as naked ladies, magic lilies or red spider lilies.  First a green tip emerges from the soil and grows skyward at a visible rate.  Then, like red fireworks, the flowers bloom.  Myth has it they emerge two weeks before the autumn rain.  After the blooms fade, the leaves show up.  My naked ladies originally came from my parents' neighbors' flowerbed and have moved with me several times.  It's always a delight when they brightened the yard.

picnic on the prairie

Standing above the prairie like a cluster of square-capped mushrooms, these lonely shelters forlornly await frolicking picnickers.  Alas, the wait has been long, as evidenced by the table-high native grasses.  Located at the far north end of the Lubbock Lake Landmark, the picnic area is seldom visited by those coming to explore the archaeological site, whose excavation has revealed a record of nearly 12,000 years of human history. Those who hike the trails of the natural history preserve seldom venture this way and the wild flower boardwalk does not extend this far. If you visit and bring your lunch, there are picnic shelters scattered throughout the 335-acre park. 

Lubbock Lake Landmark
2401 Landmark Drive
Lubbock, Texas

gaillardia

 

The weather was cool and drizzly for today's Garden Tour sponsored by the Lubbock Arboretum.  It's always interesting to see others' yards and perhaps get ideas.  And it's not often are the flowers beaded with raindrops.  The soft light was ideal for photographing this gaillardia or blanket flower.  Xeriscapes can have color.

face-off in the park

 

The annual "Putting on the Dog" photo exhibit at the International Cultural Center has closed.  Time to keep an eye out for cute dogs to submit for next year's contest.  These dogs in the park were accepted for 2014.

 



real cowboys wash dishes

 

Along with setting up camp and baking the biscuits, the cook also has to wash dishes.  It's time for the annual cowboy symposium and the chuck wagons are rolling in for the cook-off.

 

National Cowboy Symposium

Lubbock, Texas

missing pieces of history

 

The passage of time has left missing pieces of history in this mural located in East Lubbock.  There's no date so it's difficult to know how long the mural has weathered.  There's not much information-- a sidebar notes "Clea Verven" as the artist with names under "Art Corps."  The subject is apropos for the neighbor honoring both national and local black leaders (Booker T. Washington, Martin Luther King, Mary Bethune as well as Lubbock educator Struggs and physician  Chatman). This neighborhood shopping center is occupied by a catering company, two beauty shops, a barber shop and an insurance agency.  Businesses seldom support art; too bad that this mural can't be touched up.  But most people, like me, probably don't know it exists.

 

East Lubbock Mural

504 East 23rd Street

Lubbock, Texas

through these door

 

These interior doors once led to the Ancient Free & Accepted Masons Of Texas Lodge #1023.  Now the location of the Mason Temple is an empty shell of the brick building built in 1929 which housed the Freemasons .   In March 1835 the first Masonic meeting held in Texas for the purpose of establishing a lodge in Texas was under an oak tree near the town of Brazoria.  Since then many notable and ornate edifices  around the world have been constructed by the fraternity for their meetings. The Spur 1929 lodge was probably fancy for its time; the new Mason Hall, constructed down the street in 1997, is a steel building with a plain brick façade--hardly befitting of the stonemasons who crafted King Solomon's Temple.

 

Spur, Texas

8.16.2014

'34 ford