Blog Archives

The dead-end part of town

Your town probably has an area like this, where everything seems frayed at the edges, where it doesn’t take much more hardship for it to be too much, where it is hard to imagine that it ever looked better.

This is that part of my town.

Lubbock, Texas
photographed 2.22.2019

A lot of smoke, probably

My Patient Spouse was the first one to spot the “Smoking Allowed in this Facility” sign on the wall by the door, and we talked about how archaic it seems, that people could smoke in their hotel room. Or anywhere.

Later that night, as we discussed how weird it was that the drywall had been removed from all the rooms, which were stripped carefully down to the studs. That’s not how a demolition-in-progress usually looks, and we eventually hit upon a theory that the place isn’t being demolished, but renovated. And the drywall held onto to the smell of cigarette smoke so it had to go. We know we are right (see yesterday’s post for more on how knowing I’m right worked out). And we’ll be watching this place to see what happens.

what’s left of the Days Inn
Lubbock, Texas
photographed 2.22.2019

Down one column

Yes, well, I like to imagine that I have keen, finely tuned observational skills, honed by years of photographing stuff to fill up this blog.

The truth of it is that I didn’t even notice that there was a column missing from this massive roof canopy until I saw the image in Photoshop.

So, there’s that.

what’s left of the Days Inn
Lubbock, Texas
photographed 2.22.2019

Eight feet

The building – and swimming pool – look terrible, but the trees seem to be hanging in there. In fact, new spring leaves were already showing up on the branches. I am not entirely sure how they’ve been able to stay alive, as they are surrounded by asphalt and concrete, and it hardly rains around here.

what’s left of the Days Inn
Lubbock, Texas
photographed 2.22.2019

Hypnotized by rhythm

Generally speaking, I don’t really like symmetry all that much. It gets on my nerves most of the time, which could go a long way to explaining why that architecture degree I’ve got never really went anywhere.

But this. I worked hard to get this shot lined up with just a sliver of door on each side, because I rather liked the rhythm that I was seeing. Of course, I was also seeing how those wood slats on the left side of each window were NOT symmetrical. I guess there was just enough asymmetry in play to make me happy with the rest of it.

what’s left of the Days Inn
Lubbock, Texas
photographed 2.22.2019