Blog Archives
3635 days later
At some point in the 3,635 days between these photographs, Crider’s Motel was torn down. Actually, I know exactly when it was torn down, thanks to a random comment on an earlier blog post. Here’s the timeline:
- I made the original photo on March 9, 2013
- The place was torn down on November 21, 2016
- And on February 19, I went back
And for those of you keeping up with things, you’ll be interested to know that the old motel – which was widely known for housing those on staff with President Lyndon B. Johnson when he was in residence on his nearby ranch – was torn down to make way for: a vacant lot.
Johnson City, Texas
photographed 2.19.2023
generic
Church. It’s a church. And that’s all you need to know. Evidently.
Llano, Texas
photographed 2.19.2023
state of the nation
I don’t know why this place caught my eye. And I don’t know why, once my eye had been caught, I didn’t even stop to photograph it. But an hour later I was still thinking about those two flags and how they’d been pressed into service as curtains. So I did the only thing I knew to do.
Pecos, Texas
photographed 1.14.2023
praying to a blank wall
There are really not very many reasons to go to Mentone. It’s a treacherous drive, on 2-lane roads clogged with oil-field traffic, through sand mines and other oil-production-related ugliness, and there’s not really that much to see once you do arrive.
However. The door to the Mentone Community Church was unlocked, so you know for sure what I did. Everything was covered in a thick blanket of dust (I left footprints on the wooden floor, like I marked my territory.) The foyer held a nice array of things I didn’t understand, including that picture of Jesus, who seems to be praying to the blank wall. Perhaps he’s praying for more art? But, really, though, maybe a prayer for less dust would be more useful.
Mentone, Texas
photographed 1.13.2023
PS: Bonus Fun Fact – Mentone is the county seat of Loving County, which is the least populated county in the whole country; the 2020 census reported 64 residents in the 677 square mile area.
artificial green
This explosion of green was the sort of eye-catching contrast with the rest of the place that of course required a color photograph.
I hope this artificial-turf oasis brings solace to the Cantu family; it brought me an almost overwhelming sense of wonder.
Cementerio de la merced
Marfa, Texas
photographed 1.15.2023
One Day | One Image 