my first easter dress

For Lillie's shoot today we used a variety of props from a watermelon to a rocking chair to a gerber daisy. We photographed her in the heirloom watermelon dress and her Easter outfit.

(note to self: don't let the baby eat the prop)

watering the lawn

eat here

Actually, one can't eat here -- the Old Town Cafe closed years ago. But you can still rent the place for a quincenera, bar mitzvah or beer bust. In its day, the cholesterol-laden buffet featured home-cooking. The clientele ranged from courthouse suits to day laborers to visitors from the flea market next door.l

Old Town Cafe
2402 Avenue J
Lubbock, Texas

bradford pear

Spring is not bursting forth but rather cautiously creeping in one blossom at a time.

Metadata:

100mm macro

f/5.6

shutter 1/200

ISO 600

03.09.2011

Lubbock, Texas

amish buggy

Dutch Amish Country
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

February 22, 2011

demolition: cotton oil mill

Another Lubbock landmark disappears. George Albert Simmons arrived in Lubbock in 1923 to oversee the building Simmons Cotton Oil Mill, the first in the area. He became the manager of the mill at 19th and Avenue A and resided in Lubbock until his death in 1954. Lubbock's cotton production gave rise to related industries and the economic boom of the 1940-50s saw three cotton seed oil mills in Lubbock with a daily capacity of over 1,000 tons a day. By the 1960s 30% of the cotton seed crushed in Texas occurred in Lubbock. The Simmons mill, known as Lubbock Cotton Oil Mill, grew in capacity and built seed houses to store cotton seed.
.....to be continued

classic chevy chassis

Almost everything at "the shop" can be bought. Make an offer on this classic 1950s-era Chevrolet short-bed truck -- complete with racing stripe, running board and steering wheel. Other parts must be procured.

"the shop"
503 Main
New Deal, Texas

red tulips

an early Valentine's gift
one of my favorite flowers

brrr!

This is the reading on the thermometer hanging on my patio this morning at 7:00 a.m.

The weather said it was 4 degrees, -22 wind chill, 35 mph winds with a smattering of snow. How long until Spring?

gnomes on main

My friend had gone downtown to the courthouse to pay a traffic ticket. She told me there was a photo op of elves on the Burrito #2. I work downtown and this didn't ring a bell, so I looked. Lo and behold, J.C.'s Burrito #2 at 814 Main has lined gnomes all along the roof line. I don't know the significance of gnomes - in literature they seem more mischevious than lucky. Maybe it's the influence of advertising on TV.

The burrito shop occupies the site of the former Hot Shot Cafe. The Hot Shot Cafe was established in 1925 and operated until 1983, when the space was turned into offices. Since that time several food ventures have returned t0 814 Main - primarily catering to the courthouse, lawyers and bail bond offices nearby. My dad recalls eating at the Hot Shot, with rib eyes about one dollar -- but paper thin. In the 1930s and 1940s, downtown Lubbock was thriving and Saturdays were big "town" days for outlying communities. Each part of the county had their "spot" with New Deal and others from the north tending to business north of the courthouse and those from communities to the south staying mostly south of the courthouse.

For more details, including photos, on the Hot Shot Cafe, visit www.lubbockcentennial/Reader/HotShotCafe

tumbleweeds and ice

Despite today's relative heat wave of 42 degrees, snow and ice remain in patches. The North Fork Double Fork of the Brazos River forms the Yellowhouse Canyon which meanders through Lubbock -- alongside Cesar Chavez Drive, under Interstate 27 and through Mackenzie Park. Tumbleweeds are captured by the channel's ice but will be freed to blow when the next sandstorm comes.

prickly pear winter

Single-digit temperatures, double-digit wind chill, couple of inches of snow - winter in West Texas

nightlife

At the red light at the intersection of Business 290 and FM 2920 in Waller, Texas (population 2092) is the Taqueria San Luis, conveniently located near the payphone and the beer/convenience store.

church on kuder road

off Highway 21
Brazos County, Texas

treasure trove

Across the street from the Page General Store and Post Office and next door to the New Home Laundromat is 112 Main--a building with no sign. However, inside is a treasure trove of collectibles from a Sears tricycle, a New Yorker yellow cab, John Deere tractor to other vintage riding toys. A collection of decorative tins lines one wall, just behind the post office window and boxes. Wonder if my friend Don knows about this place?

112 Main (FM 211)
New Home, Texas

January 28, 2011

slide arena

Most Lubbock residents think Slide Road goes to the mall, but Slide Road (Farm-to-Market 1730) actually goes to the community of Slide. Settled in 1910 in south Lubbock County where Slide and 210th Street would be, Slide had a post office and several businesses; today's population is maybe 40. Along the way is the defunct Slide Arena, which is now just a cowpen. The cattle are unperturbed by the toadstool-shaped sunshades which offered protection to the spectators at by-gone ropings.

windows of opportunity

The future Rawls School of Business is under construction on the Texas Tech campus. Thompson Hall, the men's dorm where friends of mine lived, was razed for this new landmark.

majorettes

Can you identify these twirlers?

Hints:

1. Shot on Ektachrome slide film with Agfa 35mm camera

2. Metallic boy short costumes worn with sneakers were a change from the green velveteen, full-skirted, rabbit-fur trimmed dresses worn with white boots (and handed down over the years)

3. Green and gold school colors
4. 1960s teased flip hairstyle

mission san antonio de valero
1718

The Alamo by dawn's early light

January 19, 2011

mission san Francisco de la espada
1731

January 18, 2011

mission san juan
1731

In the1700s five missions were established along the San Antonio River. Today the missions are part of a national park. I've had images from several trips to San Antonio waiting in a "to do" folder.

colonial cart

image from Craig Varjabedian photo workshop

El Rancho de las Golondrinas

Santa Fe, New Mexico

10.29.2010

(With apologies to the other workshop participants--we all shot the same scenes; Gary Hein's image is on the Eloquent Light webpage)