Monthly Archives: September 2021
Municipal Government
There was a time, early in my career, when I thought that the field of city management seemed particularly interesting and worth pursuing. I think I started to rethink that position when the city manager told me that a gentleman here in Lubbock phoned him every morning that the garbage truck woke him up. “I’m awake and you should be, too.” was the message every time.
But I still notice city halls when I travel.
Teague, Texas
photographed 8.14.2021
Unity
Someone thought the crumbly brick wall around a cemetery needed a little bit of a sermon, I guess.
And I thought I needed to stomp through the roadside weeds to get a photo of it.
We were both right.
Mexia, Texas
photographed 8.14.2021
Jerusalem
According to the sign, Sunday School was supposed to be in session. The Patient Spouse and I (plus a dog that seemed to live in an adjacent cemetery) were the only ones in attendance and none of us were prepared to give a lesson.
So I made some photos, the dog returned to the shady spot he’d emerged from, and the PS and I drove onward.
Freestone County, Texas
photographed 8.15.2021
wall + window + screen
If you combine a series of country roads, each one smaller than the one before, and a sign that indicates a church down a narrow lane, I will check it out every time. It’s just a thing I do.
Freestone County, Texas
photographed 8.15.2021
steam + heat
My dad was a Train Guy. He was so much a Train Guy that he had a favorite locomotive, the one called Big Boy, a behemoth built by Union Pacific. It was in fact the largest steam locomotive ever build, weighing in at around 560 tons. He used to talk about this locomotive a lot.
So when we found out that Big Boy was out on tour this summer, we decided to go see it. For my dad. It was a six-hour drive from home to a place where we could intersect the route, so off we went. We first saw the train roll through a small town – it took less than a minute for it to pass us, all steam and noise and rumbling tracks. From there, we trailed it to Mexia, where it had a scheduled 45-minute stop. There were crowds on both sides of the tracks – seeing giant locomotive was a surprisingly popular afternoon activity.
So, yes, if you’re doing the math you’ll notice that we drove a total of 12 hours to see the train for 45 minutes and 42 seconds. It was worth it, though, because it gave us a chance to remember my dad and his love of trains.
Mexia, Texas
photographed 8.15.2021
One Day | One Image 