Blog Archives
Drive safely
It wasn’t all that long ago that the only way to purchase a six-pack was to drive out into the county, where there were a lot of small beer stores scattered around, most of them featuring covered, drive-through lanes. In May 2009, voters approved package alcohol sales within the city limits, and these beer stores weren’t able to compete. After all, who’d drive all the way out in the country to get beer when it was readily available right here in town?
This place was one of those old beer stores; it had the requisite drive-through lane and looks to have featured Budweiser quite prominently. I can’t explain the mattress wedged into the building, but the “Drive Safely” sign is a thoughtful reminder.
(True Story: the first round of permits for in-town alcohol sales kicked off in September 2009. My spouse and I were on vacation when the fateful day arrived. When we got back to Lubbock, we stopped at the grocery store on the way home just to gaze at the booze for sale RIGHT THERE. We felt, finally, like grownups.)
Lubbock County, Texas
photographed 8.17.2014
A worn windowsill
This building in downtown Lubbock has surely seen better days. It’s been a few things in the past – a hospital, a college – but most what it is now is vacant. I’ve shot it before (here and here) but this was the first time I followed my own advice and walked around back.
It was worth the trip, I think: most of the first-floor windows were broken, giving me views of cabinets with open doors, a random grocery cart, and a fabulous worn windowsill.
Lubbock, Texas
photographed 8.16.2014
It loomed over Lubbock
Check out this cloud! I was working through the weekend (on my real job, which sometimes get busy) and when it was time to take a break, of course I went on a bit of wander to see what I could see.
There was a big line of clouds building up east of town; I found a nice vantage point at the soccer fields, where I sat on a broken aluminum bleacher and watched the clouds build. And the thing is that just sitting and watching a scene unfold is new for me – usually I am more of the shoot-it-and-move-along sort of photographer. This slower approach doesn’t (yet) feel natural, but I’ll keep trying and see how it works out. (See, Brett Erickson: it looks like I am still learning from that class all the way back in July!)
Lubbock, Texas
photographed 8.16.2014
Mundane
I am fascinated by the juxtaposition of regular-life items and monumental scenes. So it was no surprise to me that a humble clothesline, set at the base of dramatic cliffs and under stormy skies, would have caught my eye….
near Abiquiu, New Mexico
photographed 7.2.2014
X O
I liked the XO on top of Ehpem’s storm drain and sort of hope that the X is aligned with the cardinal directions. Perhaps Ehpem – who often serves as my Research Department – can enlighten me.
the famous storm drain
Victoria, British Columbia
photographed 8.2.2014
