Blog Archives
that was about the same time they stopped walling off their feelings
I always title my images, putting me strongly on THAT side of the ongoing debate.
Sometimes the titles are short and/descriptive. Other times they read like part of a novel. There’s no way I can explain the process or why certain titles land particular ways.
This image is called “that was about the same time they stopped walling off their feelings,” a phrase that came to me during the editing process. I’m not sure what, exactly, triggered that title: it’s not biographical. Or situational. Or confessional.
As far as I know…
Fort McKavett, Texas
photographed 4.12.2026
the BBQ was top level
Parts of Oklahoma have these things the locals call “hills” – a unusual term for people from the Plains, but apparently it means that the land “changes elevation” or is higher or lower than the land right beside it. Crazy concept, but I try to be a good visitor and not feel sorry for them or whatever.
Anyway, sometimes a “hill” will require a “retaining wall” (IDK why) and that might make your neighbor’s grill actually above your own head. Again, a crazy concept. But I saw it for myself so I know it happens.
Route 66
Tulsa, Oklahoma
photographed 7.25.2026
the people with eyes
Little towns are really proud when they can associate with someone famous. (Check out Wink, Texas, and Roy Orbison, for one example.)
Erick, Oklahoma, really hit the (musical) jackpot, with two residents who became famous enough to be on a mural right there along Route 66. No side-street art for THESE guys. No, sir.
Anyway, it’s Roger “King of the Road” Miller and Sheb “The Purple People Eater” Wooley. And I do not mind admitting that I am sort of obsessed with this mural, and don’t even mind that there are security lights sticking out of Mr. Miller’s forehead.
Route 66
Erick, Oklahoma
photographed 7.27.2026
disengagement
The thing that Groom, Texas, is most famous for is the giant cross out on the Interstate. Its official name is The Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ, but it’s generally referred to as The Cross. It’s 19 stories high, making it visible from a long way off. It is one of those places that has limited photographic offerings, so I tried to find a way to show it with the town in front – this shot with The Cross looming over the high school was the only one I found.
Route 66
Groom, Texas
photographed 7.27.2026
an unpopular front grille design
I was pretty happy to find a stash of Edsels in McLean, Texas. They were, of course, unpopular and low-selling – and only in production for 807 days.
According the internet “The Edsel is famously described by automotive historians as the ultimate corporate and marketing failure. Its distinctive vertical grille inspired sharp contemporary mockery, with critics famously comparing its front end to a “toilet seat” or “an Oldsmobile sucking a lemon”.”
However, they are a lot of fun to photograph, with their weird lines, the details (little Es in the brake lights, for example), the colors (pink! turquoise!), and the history which shows up in every view.
Route 66
McLean, Texas
photographed 7.27.2026
