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if you have a complaint
That little sign in the window says, “If you have a complaint…”
The woman I met just down the block had plenty of complaints. She started our conversation by saying, “Can I hep yew?” in a way that made it clear that what she really want to “hep” me do was leave. But then she got to talking (as we say in Texas) and I learned some things:
- There are “about” 58 people in Putnam
- She’s 66 and her husband is 68 and they are the youngest people in town.
- She hates living in Putnam. Just hates it. Always has.
- Her dream is to move to Abilene.
- People in Putnam are mean. They won’t talk to you.
- She hates it there.
- Everyone moved there just to be left alone.
- She just hates it.
It was hard to see an end to the conversation – once she got started she definitely warmed to her topic! – so I wished her a good day and told her that I hoped her dream of moving to Abilene came true. She said, “Oh I cain’t move until my husband dies. He ain’t leavin’ here.”
And ever since then, I’ve worried about her husband’s long-term life expectancy. If you know what I mean.
Putnam, Texas
photographed 8.7.2022
we run a twisted line
I was taking the (very) long way from Oklahoma City to Lubbock, which is how I found myself in Scotland.
To clarify: my route wasn’t THAT long. I wasn’t in the country of Scotland, but in the Texas town of the same name.
Anyway, of course I saw the local cemetery. And this poor little marker, split in two with just the rebar in the concrete holding the two cross-chunks together.
St. Boniface Catholic Church
Scotland, Texas
photographed 8.6.2022
tatters
At some point, that billboard presented crucial information to travelers. That point, however, was not the day I was there…
San Jon, New Mexico
photographed 7.30.2022
…and the walls came down, 3
I spent the hour I had to fill up walking around the collapsed church wall, taking photos and getting a little bit teary thinking of how one of the things I’d come to count on seeing in Santa Rosa was just…gone.
I presume that the thunderstorm’s winds the afternoon before had pushed those walls down, so that meant they were only standing for an hour or so after I saw them leaning away from the rest of the building.
The thing is that people drove by while I was there and no one stopped or slowed down or even (as far as I could tell) glanced over to see what had happened. It hurt my feelings, which is sort of ridiculous and also made perfect sense.
Now I am worried that by the time I get back over there, the other three walls will be down, too.
Saint Rose of Lima Cemetery
Santa Rosa, New Mexico
photographed 7.31.2022
…and the walls came down, 2
I’ve been here many times, so many times that I nearly didn’t go on this particular day. I had an hour or so to wander and without making a conscious decision to go back, I found myself making the turn from Lake Drive to South 3rd Street.
I was a half-block away when I saw the devastation. It quite literally took my breath away. And it illustrates why going back to a familiar location is not a bad idea: even if you think you know what’s there, you may be surprised.
Saint Rose of Lima Cemetery
Santa Rosa, New Mexico
photographed 7.31.2022
One Day | One Image 