Monthly Archives: October 2013
This door? I wanted to take it home.
I love this door. I really do. I like the curled-up ends of the decorative metal rods on the bottom half of the screen door. And the way the Xs where the rods cross are a slightly different color. And the way the diamond-shaped grid at the top contrasts with the square grid at the bottom. And the pieced-together look of the weathered wood frame. And the dark hinges.
This is the third shot of an unintentional chain of photographs. There’s yesterday’s storm picture. And, this picture has the same storm overhead, and this door on the left. I’d claim I did all of this on purpose, but I suspect you wouldn’t believe me.
Also, if you drive by my house and the front door looks vaguely familiar, it’ll be just a coincidence.
Valentine, Texas
photographed 8.16.2013
But it still didn’t rain where I was
I was driving from Marfa, Texas, over toward Valentine. Off to the north, the storm was heavy over the mountains. I was in the outflow boundary (which sounds silly when the TV weatherman says it, but is actually a real thing) – the wind was very strong, there was a lot of dust, and I could smell the rain.
The storm fell apart before it got to where I was. But, until it did, it was spectacular.
east of Marfa, Texas
photographed 8.16.2013
The Crazy Water Hotel
The ballroom at the Baker Hotel in Mineral Wells is well past its prime.
But in its prime, the Baker Hotel was grand, and folks came from far and wide to “take the waters” the town was famous for. Now, I think Mineral Wells is largely famous for having once been famous.
The great songwriter Tom Russell has a song about the place, and the ghosts that haunt it. Reading the lyrics doesn’t convey Tom’s talent, and there’s no video of it that I could locate. So instead – and pardon this abrupt digression, but he got in my head and wouldn’t leave until I agreed to post a link – here’s Tom Russell and Andrew Hardin with The Ballad of Edward Abbey. (Here’s his website.)
Mineral Wells, Texas
photographed 8.15.2010
WARNING: not my typical sort of post
The gardeners called this the zig zag plant, which seems as good a thing to call it as anything else.
Obviously, this is a bit of a departure from my normal old buildings and/or monochrome work. I was working on this on a day that was cloudy and cool and damp, so maybe I needed a bit of color to brighten the day. Or maybe I just wondered what would happen if…
At any rate, tomorrow will be back to the usual. Thank you for your patience.
Taveuni, Fiji
photographed 6.29.2013
Not an optical illusion
The stairs really did make a sharp turn on the landing – this isn’t some sort of double exposure or Photoshop trickery. (Because I’m not proficient enough for either of those things.)
But aside from the M. C. Escher feel of the stairs, there are some interesting light and reflective effects. And this sat patiently in the archives for 1,940 days until I finally noticed that it had blog potential. I wonder what took me so long?
Lakewood, Colorado
photographed 6.22.2008
One Day | One Image 