Last weekend we went on a wildflower quest and drove the country roads east of San Antonio Texas. I believe we may have been just past peak for that area but we did find some nice spots. My favorite was this field with various rusty farm implements surrounded by fields of bluebonnets.
You can see more of my wildflower photos here.
Not too long ago I was contracted by the Boot Ranch Golf community near Fredericksburg TX deep in the Texas Hill Country to update their photographs of their golf course and community. Wow! What a beautiful place. They actually ended up selecting about twice as many photos as they originally thought they would need because everything there is so amazingly photogenic. This is the view from the bridge as you enter the community. As I said before; Wow! What a beautiful place.
As I stated in a previous post; I really should spend more time driving the back-roads. Although, at todays gas prices (not to mention tomorrows) driving the back-roads can get rather expensive… I discovered this old train depot while driving through Lometa Texas. The station has apparently been moved from it’s original location as it’s no longer sitting by the railroad. Perhaps it’s awaiting restoration/remodeling for some future life? In any case it’s quite a interesting old building. While doing a bit of research I discovered this old photo (Link) taken of the depot in 1916.
I’m currently in the process of helping my wife & daughter plan a train trip through Europe later this month & was imagining how wonderful it would be if we still had a similar great railway infrastructure available for moving around the USA. I’m sure many visitors to the US never get to see the countryside or pass through the small towns of America. They simply hopscotch by air from major city to major city never having the opportunity to see all the wonderful spaces between.
I really should spend more time driving the back roads of America. I am very fortunate to have been able to travel all over the world. Still, some of my best memories and favorite photos come not from some romantic foreign city, but from the small places much closer to home. The Owl Drug Store, Soda Fountain and Grill is a recent addition to that list of fond moments. In the photo below, Sarah and her mother from a nearby Christian Agrarian community enjoy a milk shake at the soda fountain in Coleman Texas.
This place is wonderful. Sitting at a booth eating a burger brought back memories of many years ago. As a child growing up in Austin I would ride my bike to the nearby Rexall drug and drink a cherry coke in the back of the store at a soda fountain much like this. The walls of the Owl Drug store are filled with memorabilia. Many pieces have been donated by families and individuals that have moved away from Coleman but wanted to leave a little bit of history they could return to and visit. On the right side of the photo you can see signed photos left by every ‘Miss Texas’ for the past 10 years or so during their traditional visit. Like the neighbors from Coleman that donated a bit of their history to the store, the store allows each of it’s visitors to re-live a bit of their own history through a memory. It makes me want to return. Next time we will have to try out one of those milkshakes.
My wife Beverly & I just completed a wonderful week long road trip. We saw lot’s of great sights, great family and a number of wonderful photo opportunities. Last night at the suggestion of my brother we found ourselves at the “Hotel Garza Bed & Breakfast” in the historic town of Post Texas. Unfortunately, we arrived late & too tired to enjoy time in this wonderful library space. We pretty much crawled into bed after a short visit by our host Ruth & Ian and of course their canine companion Buddy. This morning we headed home after a great home cooked breakfast. We ended up stopping a couple of times along the way for more photo opportunities, but more about that later.
The Buckhorn Saloon is another great San Antonio spot full of history & Texas tradition since 1881. The story is told that back then the proprietor Albert Fredrich would accept horns and antlers in trade for free beer or whiskey. The spoils from his barters are decorating the saloon today. On this particular evening I was hired to videotape a private function upstairs. Since the Saloon was closed for the private party I took the opportunity to take a few minutes to capture this historic space. You can find more information on the Saloon & Museum here.
This past week I attended the Professional Photographers Association meeting in San Antonio Texas. My first night in my hotel room was one of those misty rainy nights that make for an interesting sky as the city lights light up the low clouds above. I love it when the clouds are just at the height of the buildings. San Antonio is such a cool city and the PPA conference was great. All in all it was a great trip!
Just down the road from Waring Texas you will find the Don Strange Ranch. When you close your eyes and imagine a Texas Ranch complete with Longhorn Cattle the picture in your mind is probably pretty close to what you see with your eyes wide open here on the ranch; Old Chuck Wagons, Longhorn Cattle & this very cool little cabin are just a few of the sights. Although I confess I’m a bit skeptical about the “Fallout Shelter” sign on the cabin. Then again, I suppose if you need a fallout shelter it probably doesn’t matter…
By the way, I love comments on this site. If you like what you see or have questions, please comment. I tend to get lots of comments on my Flickr site but few here. You are welcome to help me change that. 
Also, as with all on my images on my site you may click on the image to load it in Flickr. If you then click again on the image there, you can see a larger version.
It’s been way too long since I’ve been here. It’s good to be back!
Today’s photo is from a gig I did in the metropolis of Waring Texas. A few weeks ago I was contracted to videotape an event at the Waring General Store and really had no idea what to expect. After spending a few hours at the store having fun, eating great food and listening to live Texas music, I have to say; if you ever find yourself in the neighborhood on a Wednesday night, stop by the Waring General Store for Steak Night. Waring TX is really just a crossroads in the Texas Hill country between Welfare & Comfort Texas (come to think of it, I’ve spent a lot of time somewhere between welfare & comfort). Every Wednesday night Don Strange of Texas hosts a feast complete with lots of great food, live music and an atmosphere that can’t be beat.
At least for me, it’s hard to look at an image like this and not contemplate the lives of those that lived here. Not too many decades ago someone woke up in this bedroom with the sun beaming through the window bouncing off the lacy wallpaper. Where are they now.
This in one of those images that really looks better when you look at in a bit larger. If you click on the image & go to my flicker site you may click on the image there & choose “All Sizes” to view a larger image.
