x marks the spot

 

A handy way to remember where you parked your pickup is to put it under the red X.  This building, currently serving as a garage, probably had a multitude of lives from gas station to cafe to whatever Red-X is.  A google search only raised questions because the place probably didn't sell smoke shop vapors nor testosterone steroids!

 

Floydada, Texas

2.19.2017

picket fence in front of red building

 

Wolfforth, Texas



frontier jail

 

While in Motley County, I did not do anything to be put in jail.  (Did you know Motley County is one of thirty prohibition or entirely dry counties in the State of Texas?)  I wouldn't have been incarcerated here anyway; this jail was erect in 1891 and was in service until 1984.  Cells were on the top floor with the jailer's living quarters on the lower level.  There was a handy trap door if needed for a hanging.  If you go to Matador, may be you'll be lucky enough for a day pass to tour the jail. (I had to peer through the first floor windows)

 

Matador, Motley County, Texas

2.19.2017

This 2-story jail was erected in 1891, the year Motley County was organized, after County Judge H. H. Campbell and commissioners Dan Browning, A. B. Cooper, J. J. John and W. E. Power awarded a construction contract to local builders J. F. Aiken and J. T. Cornett. Cells were on the top floor of the structure and jailer's living quarters on the lower level. The first courthouse, also built in 1891, later burned, but this jail remains as a symbol of Motley County's frontier heritage.
Built in 1891 and in service until 1984, this sandstone citadel marks the time when the Ol' West transitioned from lawlessness to order Motley County is one of thirty ^[4] prohibition, or entirely dry, counties in the state of Texas.

spot cash

 

Don't plan on buying your groceries at the Spot Cash - not only is it closed, it's only a shell of itself.  The grocery store served downtown Matador, according to newspaper ads, from the 1950s to the 1970s (they even gave Green Stamps).  But surely these elegant brick buildings housed other concerns during the heyday of the ranch town.  The owners proudly claimed the storefronts with their initials--their names probably lost to forgotten history.

 

Matador, Texas

2.19.2017

eternal view

 

For many, the road only leads in -- not out.

 

Roaring Springs Cemetery

Roaring Springs, Texas

stop sign

 

Wish I would have had time to stop in this pizza place for a Schlitz!  Looked like fun.

 

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

1.31.2017

chain chain chain

 

Did you realize that Aretha Franklin sang "chain" 19 times in the refrain of "Chain of Fool"?  That song went through my head when I shot this and then then I looked up the lyrics!  Caption and trivia in one post!

 

Lubock County Museum

Shallowater, Texas

 

 

Ever wonder where John Deeres go in the off season?  Must be like a spa for tractors!  The sign on the lot across the street says "Finished."

 

Hurst Farm Supply

Abernathy, Texas

2.11.2017

lose your hat?

 

Lose your hat?  I spotted it yesterday on this post near FM 2060 and Sun Road east of Abernathy.  Of course, with the winds today, it's probably in Petersburg!

 

Hale County, Texas

2.11.2017

jam session

 

When the bowling alley was built in Abernathy in the late '50s or so, it was THE place to go.  Everybody had a bowling ball and was a member of the men's, women's, church or youth leagues (me included).  The building languished but today it houses the Texas War Veterans Thrift Store, operated by a couple of Viet Nam vets. What used to be the lanes is filled with "thrift" merchandise, but the area where the pin setting was is different.  It serves as a "club" of sorts with a bar, tables and chairs and a small stage with sound equipment, the piano and guitars.

 



 

Texas War Veterans Thrift Store

Abernathy, Texas

 



when I see your light it stains my soul with color

 

The sun shining through the stained glass window in the Old Capitol ballroom was too bright to photograph but it cast great reflections.  I borrowed the photo below from eyewanderphotoblog.com just to show you what a great place it would be for a wedding.

 

 

Old Capitol

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

2.1.2017





some days are just like that!

 

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

1.31.2017

stylin'

 

His red shoes caught my eye but I couldn't surreptitiously shoot them.  So we talked and I asked if I could take his picture.  Bur I really just wanted a close-up of those shoes!

 

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

1.31.2017



sleeping lion

 



Lions have long been a symbol of royalty and nobility and guardian lions are an important architectural theme.  But according to researchers, the expressions on the lion's face say a lot. If they are roaring, they are seen as a symbol of power, prestige, or courage. This rather somnolent lion doesn't seem very powerful.  Perhaps he thinks being on the side entrance, rather than the front of the Capitol Building, doesn't require as much vigilance. 

Old Capitol Building
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
2.1.2017

knock knock

who's there?

lion

lion who?

lion on the doorstep, open up!

 

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

2.1.2017

workin' on the railroad

 

Almost a mile of yellow equipment sits on the tracks off I-27 north of the airport.  Ties lie along the tracks all the way to Plainview so work should commence soon.  This is the area known as the "Rail Port"-- you may remember that project.  Unfortunately the southbound tracks end at FM 1294.

 

Lubbock County, Texas

 



child to child

 

 

A child's grave is always sad but to find a tribute placed over 150 years after the death is poignant.  In 1858, the these three children--ages 7, 6 and 5-- died within months of each other  No wonder the parents erected a pillared monument with statues of the children within.  The Magnolia Cemetery, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, dates back to 1852 and the Battle of Baton Rouge.

 

Magnolia Cemetery

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

2.1.2017

old state capitol

 

Having visited both the Old State Capitol and the current 1930s version State Capitol, I know that the grandeur of the past trumps the modern.  Constructed between 1847 and 1852, the Old Capitol on a  Mississippi River bluff resembles a medieval fortress. The interior is decorated in marble and wood paneling, with a commanding cast-iron spiral staircase and an awesome display of stained glass in the main gallery.  And the admission was free!

 

Old State Capitol

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

2.1.2017