Monthly Archives: December 2014
Like watery gems
This was a rare sight: a day so misty that tiny water drops clung to the tips of vegetation….
Yellowhouse Canyon, Texas
photographed 12.7.2014
Layers peeled away
The inside of this place is in much worse shape than the outside. For one thing, most of the windows are broken, so moisture and animals have free access. And – this is new – there’s a hole in the roof, which is letting in water every time it rains. The paper on the gypboard walls is starting to peel away. While that’s never a good sign as far as a building’s longevity, it does make for some interesting photos…
Yellowhouse Canyon, Texas
photographed 12.6.2014
Dining Room
Bouncing back to the National Ranching Heritage Center, here’s a shot of the Box and Strip House. It gets its name from the construction technique, also known as board and batten, an economical construction method that was popular in areas with very few native trees.
The use of wood enabled early West Texas ranchers to abandon dugouts and live above ground.
The Box and Strip House has four rooms; this is the dining room.
National Ranching Heritager Center
Lubbock, Texas
photographed 12.5.2014
The prickly hearts
Perhaps there’s a botanist out there who can explain this – why the normally oval prickly pear pads sometimes take on a heart shape.
But until we know the reason, let’s just appreciate them for what they are.
Canyon of the Eagles resort
Lake Buchanan, Texas
photographed 11.28.2014
Coffee Reflections
This was my favorite building at the National Ranching Heritage Center; it’s the Pitchfork Cookhouse, relocated to the museum from the Pitchfork Ranch, an operation that has over 180,000 acres in Texas and Oklahoma an has been in continuous operation since 1883. That may not sound like a long time if you’re from a country that’s been around a while, but out here, that makes it an old-time operation.
Lubbock, Texas
photographed 12.5.2014
One Day | One Image 