and they're all named debra

 

I have been in a photographic slump lately - maybe burned out or just no enthusiasm.  And then this afternoon this scene in a vacant storefront sparked my interest.

 

Downtown Slaton

Slaton, Texas

4.23.2017

bless this empty building

 

Someone once had plans for this empty building in downtown Idalou, as evidenced by the outdated building permit.  Now Mary stands watch.

 

Idalou, Texas

1.27.2017

our lady of the window

 

Las Cruces, New Mexico

6.11.2016

light and airy

 

Although not historic, another Lubbock landmark bites the dust.  Hub Homes, off 4th and Sherman Avenue was one of the housing projects built after WWII.

gothic window

 

The gothic style of this abandoned church says more "haunted house" than "house of God."  Early photos of downtown Santa Anna about 1900 show the structure gleaming white with steeple intact.  Santa Anna is not named after the infamous Mexican general but rather for the Penatuhkah Comanche war chief who controlled much of this area of Texas from the 1830’s to 1850 until his death by cholera in 1850.  From cattle to trains to oil, Santa Anna has survived with its small town charm.  Except for the wooden church falling into ruins- with a sole, smudged stained glass pane.

 

photo Santa Anna Historical Development Organization



Santa Anna, Texas

2.19.2016

alley cat

 

Get off the main streets and wander down some alleys.  Sometimes you find the most interesting sights.

 

Punkin Days

Floydada, Texas

10.10.2015

how great thou art

 

The Chapel of the Transfiguration has no need for a stained glass window.  The window behind the altar frames God's creation.

 

Chapel of the Transfiguration

Moose, Junction, Wyoming

9.14.2015

painted burro

 

The Painted Burros started as an annual fund-raiser auction.  Today some of these colorful, life-sized figures can be found atop roofs overlooking the art district in Carrizozo.  If you stand carefully on a bench, then you can see this painted burro reflected in the second-story window across the street. Unfortunately, on a this Wednesday morning, it was just me and burros in the historic district.

 

12 Street Historic District

Carrizozo, New Mexico

sunshade

 

sunshade solarized

 

222 East 34th Street

Lubbock, Texas



flowers in the window

 

 St. John Methodist Episcopal Church

 Johnson Mesa, New Mexico

8.13.2013

the ladies of paris on broadway

 

Broadway was once the shopping hub in downtown Lubbock but today there's little to attract customers.  Lester's was once a busy jewelry store; now it is storage - likely for the wig shop next door.  These ladies look as if they are missing the diamonds and pearls.

 

Lester's

1014 Broadway

Lubbock, Texas

bird in the window

 

From the alley, it appears that the chicken wire on the Henne warehouse window holds a bird captive.  On second glance, it's a broken pane.  The alleyside of Henne Hardware was much more interesting that the side on San Antonio Street, although the two-story building retains some of the ornamental Victorian embellishments.  Louis Henne began the Louis Henne Company in 1857 at the age of 17 upon the death of his father, expanding the family tin-smithing operation into general hardware and mercantile. The downtown store was built in 1893.  Evidently this mid-20th century sign didn't fit the Victorian architecture so now it resides in the alley.

 



Henne Hardware
New Braunfels, Texas
5.2.2015

through the window

 

The empty building on Texas Avenue still bears the sign "Grady Henly Decorating" although the business relocated years ago.  A peek through the dusty window revealed only windows on the far side and a trashcan.  GHD was established in 1968.  You know you've been around a long time when you knew Grady Henly!  GHD is now run by his son and grandsons.  Grady Henly was the postmaster in New Deal and when he started the decorating business, his wife took over as postmistress. 

 

607 Texas Avenue

Lubbock, Texas



chromatics

 

Chromatics, or color science, includes the perception of color by the human eye and brain.  My brain knew that this corrugated tin building was drab gray but during the dusk of a bright, clear day it appears blue.  Supposedly clean air scatters more blue light than red wavelengths. The bullet holes just punctuate the picture!

 

Plainview, Texas

2.1.2015

 



courtyard reflections 2

 

On a sunny afternoon in late February, the weather is nice enough in Tucson for this couple to enjoy lunch in the courtyard.

 

Las Placitas Village

110 S. Church Street

Tucson, Arizona
2.27.2014

courtyard reflections

 

La Placita Village in downtown Tucson is a building complex built on three levels featuring bright colors, courtyards and interesting angles to shoot. 

 

La Placita Village

110 S. Church Street

Tucson, Arizona

2.27.2014



through the window

 

Travel really does open a window to the world -- or, in this case, South Dakota.  From inside the log cabin one could image what the grassland looked like to the settlers in the mid-19th century.  Early summer this year was especially lush and green.

 

Custer State Park

South Dakota

6.10.2014