Blog Archives
tornado damage
When I was 14, a huge and deadly tornado struck my town. Storm prediction and warning was a lot different then, and because that storm happened at night and didn’t damage my part of town, I didn’t actually know about it until the next day.
But I’ve never forgotten the shock in our town, the way the winds tossed heavy thing around like they were nothing, and the fact that 26 people died in the storm. And even down, decades later, if you know where to look, scars are still visible.
On June 21, 2023, a tornado struck the small town of Matador. Four people were killed and there was much damage to structures and businesses. And in just a matter of a few seconds, that storm created scars that will last for many, many years.
Matador, Texas
photographed 3.15.2024
muted colors on a muted day
The weather was crap the other day, so naturally that called for a drive. In the rain. In the cold. In the wind. Really just a fantastic day to…see what stuff looks like when it gets rained on, since that’s not a thing that happens all that much.
Matador, Texas
photographed 3.15.2024
mysteries inside all of us
I didn’t go all the way into this building: the condition of the roof led me to believe there were wiser photographic decisions that I could make.
And because I didn’t go all the way in, I can only make assumptions about what was in there. Sort of like with people I guess: you can make tons of assumptions about them, but don’t REALLY know until it feels safe for both of you to explore what’s there.
Simms, Texas
photographed 11.13.2021
not much longer
One of these days – probably it won’t take many of them – this old farm building is going to finish falling all the way down. That’s the way of farm buildings around here as farming practices and populations and the climate all shift.
Crosby County, Texas
photographed 2.3.2024
time can do so much
This building was the school for the community of Allmon for about a quarter century; in 1935 the school was merged with the one in the nearby town of Petersburg. That was followed by years of being vacant, a time as the offices for Barwise Elevator and Fertilizer, and another era of vacancy.
The building is made from tan brick with red-brick accents around the windows, which I guess was the height of rural school design back in 1909.
Allmon, Texas
photographed 2.3.2024
(Historical information from the Texas State Historical Association.)
