bubbles

One of the houses on the local garden tour had a gorgeous oasis for a back yard. One of my favorite things were the water features; no matter where I went in the yard, I could hear the sounds of water. It felt cool. And relaxing.

I did mention to the owner of the house (and garden!) that I was planning to move in. I was nice about it – I wasn’t even asking him to leave or anything; at the very least I’ll need him there to maintain the yard. He sort of acted like it was a joke; later at least one of us is going to be surprised…

West Texas Master Gardeners – garden tour
Lubbock, Texas
photographed 6.20.2026

the roof-giants

One of my favorite things I see during wanders through small towns are the civic-pride murals. I can’t recall ever seeing one that looked new – mostly they look like they were left over from the town’s centennial that’s already a quarter-century in the past. The paint is likely to be faded and/or chipped. Sometime’s the perspective is wonky. Or the scale is weird. Sometimes what was an accepted depiction of people a few decades ago seems terribly inappropriate now. There’s always something to see, though.

This time there was the the rare spotting of a whole family of giants standing on top of the farmer’s co-op gin. How frightening that must be for the workers and the horses way down below, like little ants compared the the local giants.

Slaton, Texas
photographed 5.29.2026

for it is no ordinary creature

We stopped off in Levelland the other Sunday to watch a barrel racing event. I don’t know what technical things to watch for (other than knocking down the barrels is not what the riders are supposed to do) but that doesn’t stop me from appreciating the athleticism of the horses and the riders.

But what I do know – because I attended the grand opening of this particular venue – is that a dirt consultant will devise bespoke dirt recipes for your livestock-based event. If I’d know that sooner, perhaps by career would have followed at different trajectory. Who know? (I mean, I sort of know that I would never have become a dirt consultant under any circumstances, but still, it might technically have been an option.)

Levelland, Texas
photographed 5.31.2026

rural electrification

A typical scene on the high plains – a farm buildings, some farm equipment, a horizon, and some wind turbines.

(FYI: Those clouds later built up into one hell of a thunderstorm.)

Roosevelt County, New Mexico
photographed 5.31.2026

field of vision

Through careful framing and a wide lens, I was able to fit the entire town into a single frame!

Inez, New Mexico
photographed 5.31.2026