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beauty walks a razor’s edge
I suppose that normal people think about White Sands and think about, you know, the white sand.
But these picnic shelters always come to mind: I can remember these exact shapes from my childhood visits to the dunes and I’ve seen vintage photos of them fairly often. Their shapes remind me of the gentle slopes of the dunes, which are of course constantly shifting, but still keep their sinuous shapes.
White Sands National Park, New Mexico
photographed 12.13.2025
Shade/Structure
This crossroads town has a community center, some ag-industry buildings, and a Methodist church. The historical marker on the church says it was founded in 1915 by the Rev. T. C. Willet, who rode his bicycle from Tahoka to preach here. (That’s about a 40 mile round trip on the current roads.) That was my second favorite thing about the church.
My favorite thing was this picnic shelter next to it, with that tiny square of shade to protect the picnicking parishioners.
Graham, Texas
photographed 7.28.2018
The Picnic Shelter (culturally appropriated)
Well…so…this is a real thing that I saw. It’s very near the location of the last battle of the Comanche tribe (which is often regarded as the end of the “Indian Wars” in the United States).
I’ll just leave it at that.
Dickens, Texas
photographed 12.26.2017
One Day | One Image 