Blog Archives
the peace-bringers
I appreciate an unlocked church. I like the silence and the way everything is still, as if waiting for something important to happen. I like seeing the simple things, like the stack of church newsletters on a table in the foyer or the place where the collection baskets are stored when they’re not needed. I like the statues and the saints, and the statues of saints. I like the lighting and the shadows. I like knowing that the place represents local traditions and beliefs, even when I don’t quite know what those may be.
And I mostly appreciate the trust of someone who decided to leave the church open, in case someone needed to be in it that day.
Presidio Chapel of San Elizario
San Elizario, Texas
photographed 12.15.2025
sharing space
I saw an interesting store display in El Paso last month. It was like a “compare and contrast” essay about the differences between European and Mexican versions of Catholicism.
On a side note, this sighting did increase my annual “white baby Jesus” tally by one.
El Paso, Texas
photographed 12.14.2025
arms full of jesus
I really can’t understand why I actively avoided doing street photography for a really long time. But I guess I got to it when my brain was ready. Or whatever.
At any rate, here’s a woman I saw in downtown El Paso last month. She and Jesus were out taking a bit of a stroll and they were kind enough to pause for 1/480th of a second.
El Paso, Texas
photographed 12.14.2025
side entrance (with grill)
Side entrance to the Cotton Club, with a little grill and some other crap providing a Maginot Line of defense between a vacant lot and the door. Also, I happen to have first hand knowledge that the door was locked, because I’m agile enough to get around the strategic defense placement.
Cotton Club
Lubbock, Texas
photographed 1.17.2025
cigarette smoke and beer (+ dust)
The place has been closed since the 1980s, but I swear I could smell cigarette smoke and stale beer when I was there last weekend.
I thought maybe I heard some west Texas musicians, but there’s every possibility that it was just the damn unrelenting wind blowing around my head.
Cotton Club
Lubbock, Texas
photographed 1.17.2025
One Day | One Image 