Blog Archives
a degree of concentration
Every time I go to Alpine I make a stop at the Big Bend Saddlery. I like looking at the stuff, most of which I can’t identify, but that I nevertheless like to see. I’d guess I generally stay about a half an hour.
This time, with my friends in tow, we made a stop…and stayed two hours. The staff were friendly and accommodating about letting us go back into the workroom, where we visited with saddle-makers and leather-toolers and tried to juggle staying out of their way as they worked while still getting photos.
We didn’t just take photos, though: we all left with purchases, too. And those leather gloves I got sure are warm…
Alpine, Texas
photographed 2.20.2025
song circle
My friends and I have a tradition (because we’ve done it twice, so it’s a legit tradition) where we take ourselves and our cameras on road trips to see what we can find. For the most part, we travel without an agenda but with strong curiosities.
In February we headed out to Far West Texas for a few days. One day we ended up in Terlingua Ghost Town, where to our very great delight there was a song circle set up in a parking lot. The musicians agreed to our request to photograph them, so you can guess what we did.
(To be fair, they probably thought we were asking to take a handful of photos, not about a million. But still.)
Terlingua Ghost Town, Texas
photographed 2.19.2025
cowboy/coffee
Alpine, Texas
photographed 2.22.2025
harpist
We found this place the first night we were in town, and by the time we left four days later, we’d been there often enough to have a regular drink order, know the names of the servers and the manager, and have opinions on the menu offerings.
The last night that we visited, there was live music, including this gentleman who was giving it everything he had.
(This magic place: Alcove Social. But the neon sign outside says Saddle Club. Tell ’em we said hello.)
Alpine, Texas
photographed 2.21.2025
sam
I ended the photos from Sicily with Claudio, a storyteller.
And now I’d like to introduce you to Sam, who is also a storyteller. He was the cowboy in charge of the chuckwagon breakfasts during a cowboy poetry gathering. And when he had a few spare minutes between overseeing campfires, Dutch ovens, biscuits, and so forth he was happy to tell some tales. Some were probably true, and others were like to have been tall. But it didn’t matter: we were having a great time.
On the surface it might seem like he doesn’t have anything in common with my Sicilian pal Claudio, but they share a quiet graciousness, an understated confidence in what they do, and an open and approachable personality.
And Sam also has the world’s oldest cowboy hat.
Lone Star Cowboy Poetry Gathering
Alpine, Texas
photographed 2.22.2025
One Day | One Image 