Blog Archives
four aces
As it turns out, “Four Aces” could refer to a variety of things:
- A popular American traditional pop music quartet formed in 1950 known for hits like “Love is a Many-Splendored Thing” and “Three Coins in the Fountain”, OR a different group by the same name that had hit in 1947, OR a even different group with the same name that was a popular backing band in Jamaica.
- A famous American tournament bridge team from the 1930s that popularized a dominant bidding system. (To be honest, the only part of that sentence that I understood was “1930s”.)
- A group of four American Export Lines ships known as the Four Aces that ran Mediterranean routes before serving as WWII troop transports.
- A literary allusion popularized by Mark Twain regarding “the calm confidence of a Christian with four aces.”
- Or, in this particular case, an apparently out-of-business place near Española, New Mexico.
Española, New Mexico
photographed 9.20.2026
color study, two
The worse-for-wear sign outside an abandoned cafe wasn’t holding on to much except its colors.
Not long after this shot, a woman came from across the street with a series of confrontational questions about what was going on. My usual charm* failed – it failed completely! – so it felt like moving on along was a very workable alternative.
Lamesa, Texas
photographed 3.5.2026
*”Usual charm” is a thing I assume that I have. There is, to this point, no unbiased confirmation.
i guess the centennial was cancelled
Well, this is awkward. Not only have I and my collaborator Claudette Torneden been shooting Route 66 for five years, planning to wind it up this year during the centennial, but tons and tons of travelers have hit the (famous) road this year for the important anniversary.
And now! It is evidently closed. Or cancelled. Or something. Huh.
Elk City, Oklahoma
photographed 7.26.2026
must be off
The cemetery had this sign posted at every entrance. And no matter how many times I saw it, I could not figure out what it was meaning to tell me. It seems pretty important, but I never could get it. Just to be safe, though, and because I’m a rules-follower I didn’t leave any flowers.*
Route 66
Kellyville, Oklahoma
photographed 7.24.2026
*I mean, I wasn’t there to leave flowers and in fact, didn’t have any with me.
sirloin, only four blocks away
I don’t know – maybe I’m being too critical here. But the condition of this restaurant’s signage seems to serve primarily as a reminder to always carry Emergency Snack Items® when you’re on a road trip. You can always count on the Pringle’s but the sirloin situation can be capricious.
Anson, Texas
photographed 2.17.2020
