maybe once upon a time

 

Parts of Shreveport immediately west of downtown are some of the most notable haunted spots in town.  This row of furniture warehouses are interesting but creepy enough to fit the part; I was advised to be careful since the the buildings are "haunted" by the homeless.  Not surprisingly there are guided haunted tours in Shreveport and active paranormal societies.  In fact, according to the website (http://www.paranormalsocieties.com/state_list.cfm?state=la) there are 33 Paranormal Investigation Societies listed in Louisiana.

 

Downtown Historic District

Shreveport, Louisiana

3.4.2013

row houses

 

Shreveport was established in the early 1800s at the junction of the Texas Trail and the Red River.  It prospered with steam boat traffic and served as the capital of Confederate Louisiana during the Civil War.  Downtown abounds with buildings of great architectural interest -- from Victorian to Italian Renaissance to Art Deco -- although many are abandoned and dilapidated.  The Oakland Cemetery intrigued but I was dissuaded from driving through it by the presence of its living occupants.

 

Historic Downtown

Shreveport, Louisiana

louisiana hayride

 

Elvis got his start at the Louisiana Hayride - produced on the stage of the Municipal Memorial Auditorium in Shreveport.  The building, completed in 1929, is an outstanding example of Art Deco brickwork. Honoring WWI soldiers, I like the frieze on the front that states " Dedicated to those who served in the World War" as if that were the last and only war  (which in 1929 was true).  One difference from this vintage structure and the Lubbock Municipal Coliseum is the effort to save the structure.  A workman, who saw me on the ground shooting up at Elvis, thought I had fallen and came to check on me.  We talked and he offered me a glimpse inside (with original light fixtures, decorative plaster and yes, the original wooden theater seats in the balcony.  His crew was busy caulking windows and he mentioned the repainting, plastering, etc to maintain the building (follow link to Friends of the Municipal website).

 

Municipal Memorial Auditorium

Shreveport, Louisiana

http://municipalauditorium.homestead.com/History.html

red, white and blue

 

The condition of this mail box reflects the status of the postal service -- and maybe the nation.  Still functional but in need of rehabilitation.

 

19th and Avenue C

Lubbock, Texas

remember the alamo

 

Texas Independence Day -March 2

The Alamo - Mission San Antonio de Valero

San Antonio, Texas

3.24.2009

shadows on brick

 

At high noon today at the Buddy Holly Center, I was attracted by the shadows of the patio furniture.  BHC is situated in the old train depot (hence the name "Depot District") and a set of rails still can be seen in the courtyard.  These bricks would have stories to tell from nights of the Depot Bar & Grill -- long before the District was a concept.

 

Buddy Holly Center

1801 Crickets Avenue

Lubbock, Texas

arrow 39

 

You've heard the saying "George Washington slept here"?  Well, Comanche Chief Quanah Parker got around as much as old George.  23-foot steel arrows are found along the Quanah Parker Trail - marking sites of historical and cultural interest.  Arrow 39 is placed in Lubbock.  Watch for more arrows as you travel the Panhandle and South Plains.  Need a map?  Check out www.quanahparkertrail.com

American Museum of Agriculture
1121 Canyon Lake Road
Lubbock, Texas
2.27.2013

tractor and tree

 

Silhouetted against the bright winter sky, this antique Kitten steam engine tractor caught my eye.  Manufactured in the 1930s, this piece of vintage farm equipment now finds a home at the American Museum of Agriculture.

 

American Museum of Agriculture

1121 Canyon Lake Drive

Lubbock, Texas

www.agriculturehistory.org

tool of the trade

 

I browsed stock images for a SLR camera today because I needed one for a presentation next week.  Then I thought, dummy, shoot your own!  So I set up a seamless background in soft light and shot away!  Of course I had to shoot with the Canon PowerShot to get an image of the 40D.  This is my favorite lens --18-200mm zoom.

 

cattle barn

 

You expected a snow picture?  I spent the great blizzard of  2013 bundled on the couch with a good book.  Instead of braving the 40 mph winds and blowing snow, I'm posting a photo taken this weekend when the temperature was in the 70s.

 

Cattle Barn at the South Plains Fairground

Lubbock, Texas

sit

 

The South Plains Obedience Training Club held obedience trials this weekend at the South Plains Fairgrounds.  It was my first time at such an event; the level of training and skill was amazing. 

 

www.spotc.org



swine barn

 

Absent the crowds and without smell of livestock overlaying the aromas of corn dogs and candied apples, the South Plains Fairground is a desolate place.  The first fair in Lubbock was held in 1914 and consisted primarily of livestock and agricultural products.  The cattle and swine barns were built in the 1940s.  The addition of carnivals and music shows to the fair came later.  Going to the fair was a big deal.  Back in my day, schools let out on Monday for fair day.  That morning the bands marched down Broadway (which was a long way to strut in white majorette boots!).  In the afternoon and evening we "did" the fair -- the rides, the food, the sideshows.  Wonder how many romances the fair sparked?  Who came home with a stuffed toy from a new swain or sported half an engraved heart?  That fall fling sometimes lasted until Christmas.

 

Swine Barn at the South Plains Fairground

Lubbock, Texas

www.southplainsfair.com/pages/about/history.php

sunset

 

If you're lacking inspiration for a photo, find a body of water and wait for sunset.

 

Reese Golf Course

Lubbock County, Texas

sphere

 

 

This image wasn't taken with a fish-eye lens but is rather a reflection of the TTU campus between the SUB and the Library.  The seven-foot stainless spherical sculpture by Po Shu Wang is part of the Texas Tech Public Art Program.  Entitled "Comma" the piece is inspired by the West Texas climate and ponders the question "what does the sun sound like?"  By turning a knob on the orb, bronze bells -- one tuned to the sun's musical tonality of 1782.6 Hz -- resonate.

 

Comma --2007

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas

www.lubbockarts.org/ttupab.pdf

 

ducklings cheaper by the dozen

 

If, in spring, your thoughts turn to growing things -- you might consider poultry.  Farm stores now have stock of baby chicks and ducklings.  You can raise your own chickens, have fresh eggs and a supply of garden fertilizer.  I remember my grandmother getting chicks in a box and nurturing them under a light in the laundry room.  Unfortunately, when they were grown chickens in the pen, they weren't nearly as appealing to me.  Many a time I was chased out of the pen when they pecked my legs!

 

Tractor Supply

Lubbock, Texas

bunker gear

 

The protective clothing worn by firefighters is often referred to as "bunker gear." Trousers, jackets and boots are traditionally kept by the firefighter's bunk at the fire station to be readily available for use.  Those brave men and women who become professional firefighters are to be commended. 

 

Brayton Fire Training Field

Texas A&M University

College Station, Texas

2.12.2013

stripes

 

The pergola at the amphitheater box office casts strong shadows.  I like the counterpoint of the lantern's filigree.

 

Wells Fargo Amphitheater

413 E. Broadway

Lubbock, Texas

barstools

 

It's amazing what suddenly appears along one's drive.  Today, outside the abandoned athletic club where I played racquetball 25 years ago, barstools were stacked on the outside wall.  I'm not sure if the Texas Homeland Security contract is still in effect  -- maybe the exterior storage is an invitation to help yourself!  My friend MGH posted a photo of this building on December 11 (http://melindagreenharvey.com/) which prompted a comment by our friend Sally that this building doesn't help the property value of her rental property in the neighborhood.  Maybe "new" barstools at her rent house would help!

 

Abandoned Athletic Club

5303 Marsha Sharp

Lubbock, Texas

 

 

I'm not much on birds -- even cute pink parakeets.  The pattern and color of the background interested me more.

mission concepcion

 

An advantage of a photo blog is that it is somewhat like a journal.  Three years ago I was in San Antonio on the mission trail.

 

Mission Nuestra Señora de la Purisima Concepción de Acuña

San Antonio, Texas

2.15.2010

happy valentine's day

fire hose

 

Brayton Fire Field

Texas A&M

College Station

2.12.2013

firefighting

 

While I'm sitting in a conference room at Disaster City, firefighters from Exxon are getting hands-on experience using dry chemical agents to extinguish liquid fires.

 

Brayton Fire Field

Texas A&M University

College Station, Texas

www.teex.org

black tablecloth dining

 

The Shitake Black Jewel Risotto is amazing.

 

Veritas Bistro

College Station, Texas

www.veritaswineandbistro.com

aggie postcard

 

Texas A&M University

College Station, Texas

silo graphic

303 30

 

If customers have trouble finding your company, paint the address in large letters.  A graphic paint design would help also.

 

303 30th Street

Lubbock, Texas

angel's caballo

 

Angel's horse doesn't get many visitors; he's leery but checks me out in case I brought food.

 

New Deal, Texas

walking the dog

 

Bentley prefers walking on the curb rather than the path.  We're on the jogging trail at Charles Guy Park.  In the 1940s my mother was secretary to Charlie at the Avalanche-Journal.

 

Charles Guy Park, 93rd and Memphis

Lubbock, Texas

 



lightkeeper's fence

 

Actually this fence now encloses park service buildings.  The original lightkeeper's house from the late 1800s is down 308 steps.  Since I could only see about 10 steps in the fog and barely stay upright from the strong winds, I've only seen the Point Reyes Lighthouse on the web.  By the way, I think the National Park Service took those pictures on the only day with sunshine.

 

Point Reyes National Seashore, California

10.28.2012

point reyes path 2

 

This must be a good photograph because when I googled "Point Reyes" about a dozen similar images were on Flickr.  Or, like me, the photographers didn't find much else to shoot.

 

Point Reyes Lighthouse, California

10.28.2012



point reyes path

When I visited the Point Reyes Lighthouse on the northern California coast, I drove 20 miles through empty headlands, walked one-half mile from the parking lot and was rewarded with a view of FOG!
Point Reyes is the windiest place on the Pacific Coast and the second foggiest place on the North American continent.  My recommendation would be to tarry longer at the wineries and visit the lighthouse via the US Park Service website.

Point Reyes Lighthouse
30 miles north of San Francisco
10.28.2012
www.nps.gov/pore/historyculture/people_maritime_lighthouse.htm

South on Slide Road until it actually becomes FM 1730, somewhere between the original village of Slide and the town of New Home, there is a barn with a cross.  Barn statements in our part of the country or usually flags (Old Glory or the Lone Star) or crosses.

FM 1730 around the Lubbbock/Lynn County line
1.16.2010

train art

 

BNSF Railroads

Lubbock, Texas

sheepherder's cabin

 

Tutorial #5 "Adding Sky"

It was a gray, dreary day --spitting snow-- when we visited Las Golondrinas on a photography workshop.  I too a West Texas sky and added it behind the cabin.  Oh, the magic of photoshop!

 

El Rancho de las Golondrinas

Santa Fe, New Mexico

3.9.2012

have a chair

 

Tom Jones Equipment Co.

819 Buddy Holly

Lubbock, Texas

converse all stars

 

Athletic shoes have come a long ways since the black or white models offered by Chuck Taylor in 1917.  Today Converses are available in bright shades, as evidenced by young man pictured in front of the tattoo parlor on Avenue J.  The Buddy Holly Center recently procured a fifty-year old pair of Converse All-Stars (size 11) owned by Buddy.  I spent my entire basketball career at New Deal wearing Converse All-Stars.  Mine were natural white high tops -- too bad they weren't green to match our school colors of green and gold.

 

my basketball all-stars



street musician

 

This afternoon, outside the tattoo shop next door to the AA meeting place, a young man was enjoying the winter sunshine and strumming his guitar.

 

Avenue J and Broadway

Lubbock, Texas

holy reflection

 

If attending a Santa Fe Photographic Workshop, there is an option to stay at the former Carmelite monastery located across the parking lot. If that is your lodging choice, be advised it is not a Holiday Inn.

 

Mt. Carmel Road

Santa Fe, New Mexico

9.16.2006

municipal art

 

If  you are in Anton and want to know what the high school looks like without driving another four blocks, check out the mural on the insurance agency at the end of the main drag.

 

Downtown Mural

Anton, Texas

linny

 

Named after Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778), Linny is the newest staff member of the Texas Tech Horticultural Greenhouse.  His compensation includes plenty of mice, a warm bed and lots of attention.  He also assisted in review of the emergency plan.  The original Linnaeus is remembered as the "Father of Taxonomy" for developing the botanical system of classifying plants.

 

Texas Tech Horticultural Greenhouse

Lubbock, Texas

hog pen

 

When Texas Tech was established in 1923, the College of Agriculture was one of the four schools.  Today while doing a site visit at the former Animal Sciences building, built about 1951,  I discovered something I never knew existed.  Behind the building, known now as the Annex, still remain animal pens.  The juxtaposition of the pens with the tower of the English building show how far the university has come.  What's sad it that these artifacts of Tech's history may soon be lost.

 

CASNR Annex (College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources)

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas

a classic in the barn

 

Pickup drivers argue over the virtues of Ford versus Chevrolet, but this owner has kept his vintage Studebaker pickup in the barn.  Who knew Studebaker made pickup trucks?

 

South Lubbock County, Texas

1.29.2011

leader of the pack

 

This month's issue of Popular Photography had a black-and-white photo of a gorilla.  That prompted me to look at my gorilla images.  Nothing jumped out from the Kansas City zoo but I found a possibility from the Albuquerque Bio-Park.  The conversion of this color image made an interesting photo.  I like the suspicious look and that the backlighting underscores the "silverback" of the gorilla.

 

Albuquerque, New Mexico

8.15.2009

plantation oaks

 

This original image was taken on a foggy morning in Louisiana.  The oaks are what is left of the Oakland Plantation -- now part of the LSU campus in Alexandria.  I was attempting a tutorial on infrared conversions.  This effect used solarization -- not quite infrared but still an eerie, ghostly feel. (To compare with the original, go to www.sjfimages2011.blogspot.com on October 26).

 

Alexandia, Louisiana

10.26.2011

abandon all hope

When the congregation of the New Hope Baptist Church moved to their new building in Shallowater, the former church building was abandoned.  Time and elements work on the structure -- the roof sags, windows are missing and an electric fence keeps people out and cows in.  I first photographed New Hope in 2010.  Soon only the tree will remain.

no hope at new hope

 

The former New Hope Baptist Church

FM 1294 west of Shallowater

Lubbock County, Texas



skoal

 

Never, in my annual Memorial Day trips to Raton, have I visited Schwede's.  "Skoal" here is probably the chewing tobacco, not the Swedish toast.  There's not much nightlife here-- just acouple of bars that are usually just open on weekends.  Maybe next time I'll be more adventurous  and buy a beer from Schwede.

 

Schwede's Saloon

US Route 64

Raton, New Mexico

5.30.2010

the facilities

 

When the Lynn County Court House was built in 1916, jail cells were constructed on the third floor.  Modern amenities included plumbing, but no privacy.  The jail was handily connected via a hallway to the courtroom.  Upon hearing the jailbreak story, and if one looks closely, a blood stain may be seen on the marble wall.  During a jail escape in 1936, a prisoner wrested a gun from the deputy and fatally shot him.  The escapee was soon caught several miles away but the event is part of Lynn County history.  If you're in Tahoka, visit this building on the National Register of Historical Places and ask for a tour.

 

Lynn County Court House

Tahoka, Texas

3.17.2009