Blog Archives
tornado damage
When I was 14, a huge and deadly tornado struck my town. Storm prediction and warning was a lot different then, and because that storm happened at night and didn’t damage my part of town, I didn’t actually know about it until the next day.
But I’ve never forgotten the shock in our town, the way the winds tossed heavy thing around like they were nothing, and the fact that 26 people died in the storm. And even down, decades later, if you know where to look, scars are still visible.
On June 21, 2023, a tornado struck the small town of Matador. Four people were killed and there was much damage to structures and businesses. And in just a matter of a few seconds, that storm created scars that will last for many, many years.
Matador, Texas
photographed 3.15.2024
smoke above the dead horse
It may not look like it, but this was taken at mid day.
That haziness was from wildfires in California; that summer the entire West was smoky, so everything was out of the ordinary* in way that wasn’t entirely comfortable. It was also the pandemic summer, so we spent many days driving and driving. But no matter how far we went, things were still weird.
Dead Horse Point State Park, Utah
photographed 9.7.2020
*Fun Fact #1: I was listening to “Burning Down the House”** and just as I typed “out of the ordinary” those VERY lyrics were on.
**Fun Fact #2: It was pretty loud and I was singing along***. You may have heard it from where you are.
***Fun Fact #3: I was home by myself. If anyone’s here I am expressly forbidden to sing out loud. Yes! That illustrates the, uh, quality**** of my singing voice.
****Fun Fact #4: Good thing I’m a photographer, if you know what I mean.




