for they shall obtain mercy

 

Christ Church on St. Simon Island is Georgia's second oldest Episcopal parish.  The dilapidated 1820 church was rebuilt in 1884 and is still an active congregation.  Both Charles and James Wesley preached on the island.

 

Christ Church

St. Simon Island, Georgia

4.21.2016

miss brenda joyce

 

The Miss Brenda Joyce was just one of the shrimp boats docked in Darien.  I was just a few weeks late for the "Blessing of the Fleet", a three-day festival ending with each shrimp boat being blessed in the hopes of safe travels and bountiful harvest.  Darien is on the Georgia "Agritourism Trail."  There were many bumper stickers that said "Friends don't let friends eat import shrimp" or "Say No to Drugs; Don't Eat Imported Shrimp" on the pickups parked at the seafood wholesalers by the dock.

 

Darien, Georgia

4.25.2016





st.simon's lighthouse

 

The 1872 lighthouse on St. Simon's Island was built to replace the one destroyed during the Civil War. And no, I did not climb the 129 steps to the top -- only viewed afar.

 

St. Simon's Island, Georgia

4.23.2016

sunrise at driftwood beach

 

Jekyll Island, Georgia

shrimp boats

 

Darien, Georgia once had the largest shrimping fleet on the Georgia coast, with several shrimp and oyster packing houses in town along the banks of the Altamaha River. Supply and demand of shrimp and increasing costs such as diesel fuel and loans on bigger, more modern boats have resulted in economic uncertainty in recent years. Today, Darien's shrimpers struggle to survive against competition from cheaper, imported shrimp. Many boats, like these are docked.

 

Darien, Georgia

horses of cumberland island

 

Cumberland Island off the coast of Georgia is home to bands of feral horses.  Although I had hoped to see horses on the beach, today they were in the meadows. Cumberland Island, once home to the Carnegie family, is a National Seashore operated by the National Park Service and accessible only by boat.. There is still limited privately owned property but the feral horses outnumber the few residents.

 

Cumberland Island, Georgia

 



sunset on st simon island

 

St. Simon Island, Georgia

tybee lighthouse

 

The Tybee Island Light Station is one of America's most intact having all of its historic support buildings on its five-acre site.  Constructed in 1736 octagonal in shape and constructed of brickwork and cedar piles, at ninety feet tall, it was the tallest structure of its kind in America at that time. It;'s 178 steps to the top and I climbed every one of them!

 

Tybee Island Lighthouse

Tybee, Georgia

savannah sidewalks

 

I had a delightful day strolling the sidewalks of Savannah -- lined with oak trees dripping with Spanish moss.

 

Bay Street

Savannah, Georgia



three trees and storm clouds

 

Lubbock County, Texas

4.16.2016

Tahoka Daisy

 

Marketing is everything and horticulture centers  sell Tahoka Daisy seeds.  The story goes, according to the City of Tahoka website, that about 1898 the Tahoka Lake Ranch's foreman's wife noticed these flowers.  About 25 years later Mrs. W. A. Myrick of Lubbock became enamored with the flower and convinced Burpee's to include it in their seed catalog.  The Tahoka Rotarians carried seed packets to Rotary International conventions and distributed them to delegates from every state. You can probably find a Tahoka Daisy in a nearby vacant lot.  One woman's wildflower in another's weed.

 

Lubbock County, Texas

summer cowboy

 

A member of the Texas Tech Ranch Horse Team watches the club's saddle-breaking demonstration in the horse pen at the Ranching Heritage Center.

 

Lubbock, Texas

4.9.2016

schwabacher landing

 

While reviewing my Yellowstone trip images, I came across this forgotten gem. (I really need an improved process management system!).  Schwabacher Landing is on the Snake River (a few miles from where Ansel took his photo) is in the Grand Teton National Park.

 

Schwabacher Landing

Moose, Wyoming

9.14.2015



lamar valley

 

 

Today's rain reminded of a similar day last September while in Yellowstone.  As we left Lamar Valley, the sun came out and blessed up with a double rainbow!

 

Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

9.19.2015

It's boots and chaps
It's cowboy hats
It's spurs and latigo
It's the ropes and the reins

                       --Garth Brooks

 

Ranching Heritage Center

Lubbock, Texas

4.9.2016

heavy metals

 

Commercial Metals -- a junk yard by another name!  Reduce, recycle, reuse is the slogan for the metal recycler located outside New Deal.  The high steel fence can't obstruct the glimpse of the interior workings from the motorists on I-27.

 

New Deal, Texas

 



blacksmithing

 

Today was Ranch Day at the Ranching Heritage Center and after a rainy morning, hundreds of people wandered through the fourteen acres visiting the historic ranch structures and observing typical ranch activities.  The first structure erected at the RHC was this blacksmith's shop, which was moved from the Renderbrook-Spade Ranch.  Purchased by Isaac Renderbrook, ironically the manufacturer of barbed wire, the Spade Ranch consisted of 128,000 acres in Hale, Hockley and Lamb Counties.  The ranch name originated from the  spade-shaped brand recognizing the first herd's original owner J. F. "Spade" Evans.

 

Ranching Heritage Center

Lubbock, Texas

kaiser

 

The Kaiser was a short-lived car, produced for about a decade between 1945 and 1953, until the company was done in by the Big Three.  This sedan has probably been parked half a century or more.  An interesting tidbit: A Kaiser model was sold by  Sears Auto Centers during 1952 and 1953 under the brand name Allstate as a product of Sears-Roebuck.  I couldn't find a reason why the hood ornament has a buffalo but learned I could buy one on eBay for $9.99!

 

Rising Star, Texas

2.17.2016

Farmall 560

 

On Sunday I got a call from my dad to come and take a tractor picture.  From 1958 to 1963 International Harvester built 65,982 Farmall 560s.  The price for a 1963 model was $5,500. This was the model designed to get the edge on competitor John Deere.  Pop's friend Brooks purchased this Farmall 560 LP Gas new sometime in the 1950s.  After Brooks retired, the tractor made its way to a farm sale and was picked up by the auctioneer. Because of its age, it wasn't a hot item.  It sat awhile and when the auctioneer couldn't get it started, my nephew was called in. Seth got it running and ended up with the tractor, which he restored.  About the only modification-- made by Brooks-- was moving the headlights from the front to the middle.

 



For more info, click here:
Farmall 560
Fortenberry Farms
New Deal, Texas
4.3.2016

getting ready for spring planting

 

This blue sky is not from today!  Today is a "red flag warning" day with brown skies, southwesterly winds 20 to 35 mph, 8-12 percent humidity and 82 degrees. Yet optimistic farmers are preparing for planting season even with the low market price of cotton for this year's crop.

 

Lubbock County, Texas

4.3.2016

Pity the poor cowboy who draws this bull for his eight-second ride.

 

ABC Rodeo

Lubbock, Texas

4.2.2016

saddle up

 

ABC Rodeo

Lubbock, Texas

4.2.2016

grooming for the grand parade

 

The 74th annual ABC Rodeo is in town.  Outside the Coliseum, a cowboy grooms his horse before the Grand Parade.

 

ABC Rodeo

Lubbock, Texas

noun or adjective?

 

Noun or adjective?  Context is often determined by word usage.  Nouns may be used as adjectives, referred to as "attributive" (sorry, former English teacher!)  So what's in the warehouse?

 

Midget Warehouses

Lubbock, Texas

larry's hat

 

Every gentleman around town needs a top hat -- with feather.  This is the one worn by the virtuoso of the Tornado Gallery -- Larry Simmons.



green glow

 

If you saw Larry and Tony's newest project in the neon shop, your eyes would sparkle too.

 

Tornado Gallery

1822 Buddy Holly

Lubbock, Texas

that'll be the day

 

Some 15 years ago, as part of the Regis Corridor Beautification Project, the north row of houses facing Regis Avenue was razed. Since Regis is the connector to I-27 from the airport, the purpose was  to make the first and last impressions of Lubbock for airport passengers more attractive.  The removal of houses left the alley and fences in view of travelers.  The original project planned for landscape plants and flowering trees on the south side of Regis -- that never happened.  So one resident has provided his own welcome sign for Lubbock visitors.

 

900 Block of Regis

Lubbock, Texas

rest in peace

 

While looking for something else I came across this old photograph.  This is from what was probably the only roll of black and white film I ever shot!  It was for a class and was shot with my first SLR - a Pentax K1000. Many photo ops were available when I lived in Jacksonville, Alabama.  As you can tell, my interest in old cemeteries is long-standing.  The City Cemetery in Jacksonville is old, with many Confederate war veterans.  This lone gravestone for a child is sad - but at least it's sheltered by the ancient oak.

 

Jacksonville, Alabama

1984

first day of spring

a girl, a ball and a trampoline

I'm a sucker for a good sign.  Driving east on FM 2641 today, I spotted small new signs for the Friendship Holy Baptist Church.  So I turned and, sure enough, there at 3213 N CR 2750 there was a small brick church I had never noticed before.  A little further down the road was this sign, so naturally I had to follow the arrow to heaven.  Here's what I found at the end of gravel CR 2775:



who?

 

This burrowing owl acts if I'm encroaching on his neighborhood when in fact he's the encroacher.  Burrowing owls appropriate vacant prairie dog burrows for their own.  Look for these small owls in prairie dog colonies.  This one is an urban resident, located in the prairie dog town at 47th and Magnolia.

Happy Birthday, Ava

 

Today is Ava's second birthday.  She has a fascination for Minnie Mouse (who is ageless rather showing her 88 years!).  I am excited for the birthday party on Saturday at Ava's Bowtique. Wonder if I have to wear ears?

the door

 

Old doors with their mysterious stories are intriguing.  I love everything about this door (except the price!) -- the turquoise color, the peeling paint, the carved motif and especially the fist-shaped knocker (purportedly from Egypt). But what would I do with an eight-foot door?

 

Unique Rabbit

2024 Broadway

Lubbock, Texas



sidewalk sale

 

There are not many businesses in Baird but Konczak seems to have cornered the market for anything you might need!  There was almost too much to absorb and that was just on the sidewalk!Unfortunately, under the "open" sign is a smaller one stating "closed for lunch" so the interior is still unknown.  Evidently it's OK to leave merchandise on the sidewalk while the store is unattended, except for the old fire hydrant -- it's chained to the post.  There is creative use of grocery baskets for bins to hold guitar cases, 50 cal ammo cases and spring chips, whatever they are.   The Union garden implement stand, complete with hoes, rakes and shovels, may be vintage.  But what really caught my eye was the Texas historical marker in the window.  Turns out it looks real but it's fake (you can buy one on-line). It proclaims that March 2, 1836 Texas declared independence from Mexico and "this building was not here yet."

 

Baird, Texas

3.4.2016

 





anglin pier

 

A  walk along the pier would have made a perfect evening when we dined at the Aruba Beach Café in Lauderdale-By-The-Sea (yes, that really is the name of the town!).  Unfortunately the pier, first built in 1941 and subsequently rebuilt after hurricanes, has been closed by the city fathers for code violations.  We had to settle for watching the waves from the beach.

 

Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, Florida

3.9.2016



 



no vacancy

 

The derelict condition of the Derrick Motel is probably due to the oil bust of the '80s rather than the current downturn.  Or it may be that not much traffic stops off the interstate in Clyde, Texas.

 

Derrick Motel

Clyde, Texas

3.4.2016



margaritaville

 

I've neglected this blog this past few days while in Ft. Lauderdale.  However, I didn't spend all the time "wasting away in Margaritaville."

 

Margaritaville Beach Resort

Hollywood, Florida



There are only two places to dine in Thurber, now a ghost of the former mining town's self. One is the Smokestack Restaurant, named aptly after all that remains of the town's power plant.  The other choice is the restaurant atop New York Hill, across the interstate. If you choose not to eat, the Thurber tour takes hardly any time.

Thurber, Texas
3.4.2016

got beer?

 

I'd like to say I had a beer in the Mule Lip Bar in Mingus but I didn't.  I think the actual bar is in the newer stone building to the right, but the handwritten sign on the historic building had more character! The Mule Lip even has its own Facebook page with the disclaimer "We don't serve women--bring your own!" For a small place of about 200, the town supports at least two bars (the Boar's Nest offers darts and shuffleboard) and Lori's Liquor Store. The Outlaw Cowboy Church balances out the activities in Mingus.

 

Mule Lip Bar

Mingus, Texas

FM 193 and 108

3.4.2016

end of the line

 

While it appeared that using a trolley in front of an old gas station to make a diner was a good idea, the location was less than ideal.  Wonder where the trolley originally came from? Interstate 20 Exit 373 (hence the name?) is for FM 193, in Palo Pinto county, in the nothingness between Weatherford and Eastland. Not many travelers get off here.  Since I was off the interstate and right there, I took a quick side trip to Gordon, 2.5 miles up FM 193. Once a bustling railroad town, Gordon is now a a quiet community with FOUR cemeteries! Alas, I did not have time to tarry but continued along FM 193 to Mingus to Thurber and back to I-20.  Did you know it is 443 miles from Tyler to Lubbock (plus side trips)?

 

I-20 Exit 373

Palo Pinto County, Texas

March is too early for the roses but the camellias are blooming!

Tyler Rose Garden
Tyler, Texas

twin spires

 

Throughout the IOOF (Independent Order of Odd Fellows) Cemetery, a handful of Spanish Colonial style mini-cathedrals mark gravesites.  More traditional markers, including Woodman of the World, fill the cemetery.  This Plainview Cemetery's oldest burial is the town founder in about 1880.  In this century, the cemetery received a Texas Historic Cemetery designation.  The utility poles replicate the skyward-bound twin spires.

 

IOOF Cemetery

Plainview, Texas

2.27.2016

what's for breakfast?

 

My Spanish isn't that great but does this place have donkey (burro) intestines, tongue and guts on the menu?

 

Plainview, Texas

2.27.2016

rustwater, kansas

 

This really is a "ghost sign" advertising for a diner in the non-existent town of Rustwater, Kansas.  In 1992, Plainview was used for scenes in the movie "Leap of Faith" starring Steve Martin.  A water tower still bears the faded fictional town's mascot.  And here, on the alley-side of Broadway Brew, is the sign for the Quick Lunch Diner.  Wonder if Heinz Ketchup paid a promotional fee?

 

Plainview, Texas

2.27.2016



ghost sign

 

Imagine my surprise when a quick search on "Bob Hooper" to learn more about this ghost sign on an empty building turned up stories about "ghost car dealerships"!  The Hoopers, father and son, had the Plymouth Dodge dealership in Plainview from the 1930s to the '70s.  It seems that Bob, through the years, stowed about a dozen or so new cars with low miles in his barn.  After his death his heirs sold the entire collection to Barrett-Jackson classic car auction.  The 1957 Plymouth Savoy two-door

blue coupe with 29 miles sold for $52,800!  There's more to the story than faded paint!

Bob Hooper Plymouth-Dodge
7th and Ash
Plainview, Texas

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.



Old brush arbors by the side of the road,
Where the mighty light of God's great mercy flowed.
There was praying, shouting, singing,
Till the country side was ringing.
Brush arbors by the side of the road...

George Jones, 1965

Although it has a tin roof, this structure is reminiscent of old brush arbors. By definition, brush arbors were rough, open-sided shelter constructed of vertical poles with poles laid across the top to support a roof of brush or hay. Located in the middle of nowhere, with the Neal church across the road and the Neal Cemetery adjacent, this arbor was probably the site of many a revival, gospel singing, dinner on the grounds, and funerals.

Neal Cemetery
FM 500 and 211
San Saba County, Texas
2.19.2016

do not block alley

 

The sign on the corner admonishes motorists "do not block alley."  That's because what appears to be a ghost sign actually advertises a working dry cleaners.  There is easy access in the alley to the door as well as a 24 hour drop box. I found historic downtown Coleman quite interesting and well-worth the detour from the highway.

 

Rhyder X-Press

108 E. Liveoak

Coleman, Texas

 2.19.2016