One of my very favorite places is the small town of Alpine, Texas, in the part of the state that’s known as Far West Texas. There’s just something about the air, the sky, the food, the art, the people that makes me feel centered and calm.

I try to get out there at least once a year (it’s a four hour drive from home, a short trip by Texas standards), and when I go, of course I take my camera along.

My most recent trip was in July, and I entered some of the photos I made then in the Visit Alpine photo contest.

Late last week, I learned that two of those images had been selected as finalists in the contest; you can see the entire set of finalists here. (Also, my good friend Justin Burrus has a photo that was named as a semifinalist – the fantastic shot of a nighttime train.)

And here are my images, my tribute to a town that I love:

Granada and a Distant Storm
along Holland Avenue
photographed 7.25.2016

Mr. Nichols’s Steer
on the campus of Sul Ross State University
photographed 7.24.2016