Blog Archives

drive-by

The highway heading south out of Lubbock (it has a number* but we call it the Tahoka Highway, but only because that’s the next town) has a lot of seasonal fireworks stands. At this particular one, I guess someone couldn’t wait ONE MORE SECOND to light up some sparklers.

Lubbock, Texas
photographed 7.4.2025

*My brain refuses to complicate things by learning highway numbers; it would very much prefer to know the names of the towns a particular highway goes through. That led to many circular conversations with my father-in-law that went this way:
FIL: What road did you take? 86? 239?
Me: I don’t know. Tell me some towns I would have gone through…
FIL: So, then 44, maybe?
Me:

We each thought the other one was ridiculous, and in a rare agreement, we were both right.

ice flower

The same year local farmers grew sunflowers there was an early-season ice storm. The ice made this lone flower look almost like a windmill.

Here’s a couple of things about sunflowers as a farm crop that AI thought I needed to know; I cannot vouch for the veracity, so my apologies if I’m just spreading rumors.

  • Soil Health:

    Sunflowers have a deep taproot that helps with soil conservation by improving soil structure, reducing compaction, and bringing nutrients from deeper soil layers closer to the surface. 

  • Pollination:
    Sunflowers are attractive to pollinators, beneficial insects, and birds, making them a good choice for biodiversity. 

Lubbock County, Texas
photographed 10.27.2020

franky

There is something heartbreaking and endearing about homemade cemetery markers, and I have never seen a fancy granite (or whatever) carved stone that I liked even a little bit.

And I am sorry for the loss that Franky’s family experienced.

unnamed cemetery
Cedar Crest, New Mexico
photographed 7.1.2016

that nurse seems unprepared

Side-show signage…somehow I just don’t think this little, weird scene is going to end well. That nurse seems unprepared for feeding two babies with only that one bottle, plus her uniform seems pretty tight for a job that involves bending over and picking up things (like, you know, babies); there’s a wardrobe malfunction in her future.

South Plains Fair
Lubbock, Texas
photographed 9.23.2014

land lease

The fact that I think it’s more than slightly creepy is probably not important.
 
Lubbock, Texas
photographed 6.28.2025