Blog Archives
this ought to have been in Brownfield
We are right in the middle of what I like to call the Truth in Naming Belt: we’ve got towns called Levelland, Brownfield, Shallowater, Earth, Plainview, Plains, Sundown. And those names are accurate.
Anyway, although I spotted this practically monochromatic scene in Littlefield, I sort of think it needs to be in Brownfield…
Littlefield, Texas
photographed 7.26.2024
shady
Oh, yes – here I go again, shooting photos through dusty windows into buildings full of random discards. Lately I’ve been seeing a lot of lamps and most of them are just as nice as the ones you can see here. If you get my drift.
Post, Texas
photographed 7.27.2024
creepy-town
So. Littlefield. It’s….a place, for sure.
I looked through the window at this particular abandoned place and the conglomeration of things – those candleholders, the arched staff things, the chair, the mattress leaning on the wall, and that silhouette on the wall gave off a particularly sinister vibe.
Now, you might think that this plus that creepy dude from yesterday’s photo would have been enough to keep me from returning. But maybe you also know me and won’t be surprised to find out that I went back just a week later. And it was still creepy-town.
Littlefield, Texas
photographed 7.26.2024
dust to dust
It does seem sort of ludicrous that a building material made of mud and straw can durable enough to last hundreds of years. And it’s also ludicrous that over time it just melts back into the earth it originally came from.
But the best part about all of this is the way these walls, as they gradually melt away, begin to take on the shapes of the surrounding mountains.
Santa Rosa de Lima ruins
Abiquiu, New Mexico
photographed 7.3.2024
double cross
When I was in New Mexico earlier in the spring I spent a wonderful day with my photographer friend R. David Marks (if you don’t know his work, you need to) and he took me to this place. It is the ruins of the Santa Rosa de Lima church, an adobe building that was constructed in the 1730s. It was still used as a place of worship until the 1930s.
Earlier this month, I was back in northern New Mexico, this time with my photographer friend Kim Cook (look for her work, too; she’s @kcook64 on Instagram). It was her first visit out west and New Mexico helpfully provided all the things I was hoping it would: dramatic skies, unbelievable scenic vistas, interesting people, and centuries-old ruins. And thanks to David, I knew to return to this place.
near Abiquiu, New Mexico
photographed 7.3.2024
PS: To be clear, the ruins are behind me in this shot. I realize that posting about ruins and then not even showing them is weird and confusing.
One Day | One Image 