Enoki

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

Old Garage

Phoenix, Arizona

Mums in Black and White

The Blue Bike

                                                                          Nacogdoches, Texas

Swirling Skies

A late afternoon monsoon in the desert ~ Phoenix, AZ, August 24, 2010

This photo is a little grainy but I think I like it that way.

Window in Del Norte Place

This is a stained glass window I saw on the side of a house one day while I was walking through Del Norte Place, one of Phoenix's historic districts.  Del Norte was established by Dr. James C. Norton, the territorial veterinarian of Arizona who later sold his home and half his property to the City of Phoenix while developing his remaining property into what is now one of our historic districts.  For a picture of Dr. Norton's home, built in 1912 and which still stands today, see Kathy Goes A Ramblin'.

For other blues of every genre, visit Rebecca's Midweek Blues.

13/100 Strangers ~ Felipe

Felipe delivered a Billy Goat to my house a couple weeks ago for the lawn.  Now before you start thinking I'm nuts, Billy Goat was the brand name of a machine used for aeration purposes!  Felipe works for an equipment rental company and has been there 13 years, although I didn't think he looked old enough to have worked anywhere for 13 years.  He gave Sam the handyman a quick lesson on how to make the Billy Goat do its job, but he had to come back later because a belt had slipped off.  Sam was within 15 minutes of finishing the whole thing so Felipe waited so he could take Billy Goat back home again.  He and I stood on the patio watching Sam's progress, and it was then I noticed how tall he was.  When asked, he responded that he is 6'5" and added, "I'll bet you've never seen a Mexican that tall!"  I had to agree I had not.

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to meet a really tall Mexican and for being my 13th Stranger, Felipe!

Mother's Day

I wish I could have waited another nine months to post this for Mother's Day, but I couldn't.  I've tried and tried to take pictures of horses here in Phoenix but my little point-and-shoot is just not meant for far-away photos.  Luckily for me while I was on vacation in Texas, one of my mother's neighbors just down the road has kids who are active in 4-H and they have goats and sheep and .......... yep, horses.  This mother and colt were so tame and standing right by the fence by Mother's gate leading to her bottom land that I was actually able to walk up and pet them ~ and get some wonderful photos.

Deep East Texas

Deep East Texas is a subregion of East Texas and much of it lies in what is often called the Piney Woods.  It is so deep it's sometimes like a jungle.   In fact, when the Columbia space shuttle disintegrated over this area in 2003 it was announced that much of the debris would likely never be found because of the dense forestation and bayou environment of this region.  Vines abound everywhere.  Much of this two-story building is no longer visible because of the thick growth of the vegetation.  In all likelihood the red brick structure will probably be completely absorbed in another few years.

Woodmen of the World

This old building is located near the little community of Arcadia (locally pronounced Ar-Kade-ee) in Shelby County, Texas.  It originally sat about a mile down the road but was later moved to its present spot.  The outhouse was moved with it but is about 50 yards from the building and is not shown here.  My mother recalls that at one time the ground floor was used as a church and the top floor was the meeting hall of the Woodmen of the World fraternal organization.  It has a weathered tin roof which was typical of construction in both Arizona and Texas around the turn of the century.  People are actually going back to metal roofs these days because other than possible wind damage they are practically indestructible. 

Golden Doorway

Many homes of Southwestern architecture have an exterior door in a wall surrounding the home that simply leads into a courtyard.  I discovered this one one day while on a walk near Central Avenue and Bethany Home Road.  I loved the richness of the brown wood, the golden tint of the sunshine coming from behind as well as the blue sky above.  I suppose the bell is to ring the announcement of someone's entry to step beyond the doors into a garden.

12/100 Strangers ~ Casey

I found Casey early one Saturday morning at the farmers market that I like to frequent.  He was manning a booth for Dr. Hummus.  He offered up several delightful samples of tahini-free hummus, meaning it has no sesame oil.  I was intrigued by his beautiful hazel eyes. 

Thanks, Casey, for the hummus samples and for being my No. 12 Stranger.

Rooster Standoff

I'm reaching out to all you clever bloggies out there to come up with a good caption for this picture.  The winner will be announced tomorrow.  The prize?  Being announced as the winner tomorrow!

Billy

No, Billy is not part of the 100 Strangers Project.  He was way too friendly.  Billy lives on the farm of one of my mom's neighbors (the one who has been responsible for providing all the barnyard animals that have been featured recently on this blog and also the Kathy Goes a Ramblin' site.)  You may think he's pretty cute but before you start thinking about bringing one like him home to your back yard, you might be interested to know that when billies (or bucks as the males are sometimes called) are in rut, they urinate on their beards and front legs (that's why his beard seems to have a slightly yellow tinge).  It seems that the does are attracted to the smell.  The minute I walked into the goat pen, Billy did his thing and then kept trying to rub up against me.  It didn't take me long to go back to the chicken coop!  If you're wondering about the little spiral on the top of his head, Billy was dehorned as a kid.  The horns continued to develop for a while but never fully matured, so he has a little unique headdress but one that is not dangerous.

Whale Bas Relief

There is a building at 3rd or 4th Avenue and Van Buren here in Phoenix (I know I'm switching between Arizona and Texas these days!) that sports this whale bas relief all along the side.  It was in all probability built in the 1920s and who knows why someone decided to portray a whale in a desert building.  But I found it fascinating, and the various sculptures run parallel to the vintage parking meter shown in yesterday's photo.

Vintage Parking Meter

Downtown Phoenix

For More Midweek Blues

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11/100 Strangers ~ Luis

Luis was a wonderfully handsome, kind man I met on a shuttle ride between Tyler and Dallas following my trip home in July.  I caught the shuttle in Longview, he boarded some 30 miles down the road in Tyler, and we rode the rest of the way to Dallas together (about a three-hour ride).  Luis is from Costa Rica and was in the Longview/Tyler area because his wife's father was hospitalized with a serious heart condition.  He met his wife almost 20 years ago while he was traveling through the US and happened to stop in Longview (now, you must wonder, why would anyone from a foreign country stop in Longview, Texas?  Have any of you ever even heard that name and know where it is?).  Fast forward two decades and he and his wife are the parents of two teenagers and Luis owns what we call here in the States as a used car lot.  He had been in Tyler/Longview for three weeks and was returning home to his children and his business and leaving his wife to care for her parents.

Luis, thank you for being my Stranger Number 11!

Leave Me Alone ...

... I'm makin' breakfast!

(Polish setting hen)

10/100 Strangers ~ Cecil

I met Cecil while I was browsing around the little town of San Augustine, Texas, one Saturday afternoon during a recent trip back to my roots.  He was picking up so much laundry and dry cleaning that I was sure he was probably an employee of the local cleaners near his parked vehicle.  But no, he was just getting his wardrobe in place for the coming week.  Saturday is a big day in Cecil's schedule because he is part of C-Dog & Sons Disco Road Show and they provide entertainment in various genres (blues, gospel, rap, R&B, oldies and Zydeco) at parties, weddings, reunions, or just anyplace people gather to have a good time.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with Zydeco, it is a music medium which evolved in Southwest Louisiana in the early 19th century from forms of Creole music. The rural Creoles of Southwest Louisiana and Southeast Texas still sing in Louisiana Creole French.  I wish I could have photo'd Cecil at work but since that was impossible he agreed to pose in front of a vine-covered red brick building.  An extremely polite gentleman in a white starched shirt, he works during the week for a large poultry company.  Thank you Cecil for being No. 10!

Mule

When I was growing up my grandpa had mules (the four-legged, two-eared kind) that he hitched onto a plow which he then walked behind and plowed the fields and kept in a barn.  Today's farmer has a mule (the four-wheeled, roll-bar kind) that he uses for quick trips and hauling some light loads throughout the farm and keeps in a garage.  Dogs seem to hang around both kinds!

A Word About Heat Stroke/Heat Exhaustion

It was a brutal day for heat in Phoenix yesterday, although I believe our high was ONLY 112, but since we are in monsoon season the humidity has been high.  My good friend Magpie of "In Over My Head" made reference in her post yesterday about shopping for a camper shell and waiting for installation and then doing some cleanup work "and then I wilted." 

I have spent the last two days with a handyman doing some spruce-up things on my property, one of which was getting the lawn put back together after having been gone for almost a month.  I had been outside innumerable times, took a trip to the famous home supply place for stuff (in a non-airconditioned vehicle, mind you) and I finally got to the point of feeling slightly nauseous, a bit clammy, sweating profusely even though I was in the house with the temperature registering 76 degrees.  I couldn't seem to get rid of the dry feeling in my mouth.  I had taken a shower and started drinking water (100 ounces in a little under two hours) and my body still craved more.  I  mentioned to Sam, the handyman, that I did not feel well and I could not come back outside to answer any of his questions or to help out.  He said if I had some potato chips I should chow down on them because they are very high in both sodium and potassium.  11 chips equal 9 percent of your daily requirement of potassium. 

Who can eat only 11 chips?  Not me!  I LOVE potato chips.  And even though I try to practice a low-salt diet I know that sodium is necessary to make the body crave water in times of dehydration.  I ate a big bowl of potato chips, drank more water, and in a short while I felt good again. 

Just wanted to share this little tip with my blogger friends.  I am so pleased to find this healthy reason for indulging in a bowl of potato chips!

Thanks, Sam!

 

Cock of the Walk

The main man

Alley ~ San Augustine, Texas

Of the many pictures I took on my day trip to San Augustine, Texas, last month, these three I find the most intriguing.  I went to that sleepy little East Texas town in search of historic places and I did find many, but I loved what I saw walking down a couple of alleyways.  These three pictures are of the same building.  The first shows the building; the second, the doorway; and the third, one of the windows.  I believe the black on the building may be soot from a previous fire and the orange is rust and discoloration from water.  The door has an interesting portico that looks quite new.  I did not have an opportunity to walk around front to see what type of establishment might be on this site.  It started raining quite heavily right after these pictures were shot so I left and went home.  Oh, by the way, all three pictures were straight out of camera, no enhancement and no cropping.

Christ Church ~ San Augustine, Texas

Mrs. Frances C. Henderson, wife of the first governor of the state of  Texas (J. Pinckney Henderson ~ Feb. 1846 ~ December 1847) was instrumental in founding this Episcopal Church in San Augustin, the town known as the cradle of Texas Independence.  In 1848 the Rev. Henry Samson was sent to do missionary work, but unfortunately, his first service was the burial of his oldest child, who died of scarlet fever the day after the family arrived.  The child's remains are interred under the church altar.

The original church building was constructed in 1851 but was devastated by a storm in 1859.  Saved were a few of the interior artifacts, including the rails and the hand-hewn pews, which were placed in the new structure some 11 years later in 1870 and remain through today.  The Gothic tower was added in 1891 to relieve the building strain caused by the vibration of the bell.

This little church sits on the most beautiful grounds I've ever seen.  The day this picture was taken was quite hazy and I hope to return to San Augustin in the not too distant future and perhaps get a better, brighter shot.

Visit the San Augustin cemetery at my Project 365 blog.

9/100 Strangers ~ Robert

Robert was a seatmate on a flight between Phoenix and Dallas earlier this month.  He jumped on the plane in Albuquerque where he had been visiting his daughter for the purpose of attending her baby shower.  He was exuberant that he also had had the opportunity to see an ultrasound picture of his soon-to-be born granddaughter.  Robert, who lives in Dallas, is a missionary working in the Caribbean.