Black and White or Color?

Black and white or color?  

I love others' B&W pictures but very few of my own.  

So which of the two do you like better?

Travis' Barn

This sweet old barn belonged to the father of my good friend JB.

Azalea Trail

The Nacogdoches Azalea Trail is in full swing.  There are three driving trails totaling 28 miles through the entire city to show off this spring's bounty.  Below is a small sampling of what one can see in the more upscale area of town.

 

For three photographs taken in the historic district, please visit my photo-a-day blog HERE.

Stock Pond

You can judge a really good farm by the condition of its stock pond.  This one is particularly nice.  Location:  between Nacogdoches and Crockett, Texas

Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden

This stunning azalea garden is located on the grounds of Stephen F. Austin University in Nacogdoches.  It is so well-known throughout the state of Texas that tour buses roll into the city for several weeks bringing flower lovers to view the magnificent grounds.  The eight-acre garden is a joint venture between the university horticulture department and citizens of Nacogdoches who believe that beautiful gardens should be a part of the educational process.  Established in 1997 in a loblolly pine forest, it has 1.25 miles of accessible paved trails for the viewing of 46 planting beds and 50 benches for just gazing and relaxing.

The Nacogdoches Azalea Trail is in full swing for the next couple of weeks and there are three separate driving trails over 28 miles throughout the city for the viewing of homes which have beautiful azalea-landscaped yards.  I'm hoping to make some of that drive this weekend.  I wish my photography skills were greater because the above picture does not do justice to the beauty of this garden.

The Original Big Screen

If you grew up in the '50s and '60s you surely were familiar with drive-in theaters, unless your parents were extremely strict or you lived under a rock.  The Redland still stands in Lufkin, Texas.  The screen is still intact and the marquis stood until just a few years ago.  The acreage behind the theater, which once handled a capacity of  1200 cars, is now used as a salvage yard.  During a period of time after drive-ins lost their popularity it showed XXX movies!  I never realized porn movies were shown at drive-ins. 

Railroad Graveyard

I actually shot this picture with my camera lens stuck through the chains of a chain-link fence at what appeared to be a railroad graveyard outside of Rusk, Texas.  There is a railroad museum on the grounds of a state park nearby, but quite a number of old rundown train cars of many different types were parked on a spur behind fencing a few miles from the park/museum entrance.  This car seems to have been constructed of multimedia:  wood, metal, bricks.  I presume it was a caboose only because of the shape and the color red.  Any further ideas or speculation would be appreciated.

Dogwood

Nacogdoches Depot

The Southern Pacific Railroad Passenger Station in Nacogdoches is a beautiful example of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture.  Authorities seem to argue whether the depot was built in 1910,1911, or 1912.  Closed to passenger service in the 1950s, it remains virtually unaltered since its construction.

First Methodist Church ~ Crockett, Texas

 

Established in 1839, Crockett's oldest first congregation shared a structure with other denominations until erecting a frame building on the current site in 1864.  The present sanctuary was built in 1901 and is the oldest extant house of worship in this history-rich East Texas town.  The bricks used in the construction were actually fired on site.

The First Lilac ...

... of the season and it's actually in our yard!

It smells divine!

Northern Cardinal

Fence No. 2

Farmer's Workhorse

24/100 Strangers ~ Vivian

When I lived in Phoenix I enjoyed going on Saturdays to the farmers market. I have now discovered the farmers market in Nacogdoches, and while not as large as some of the markets in Phoenix (remember, though, there is a slight population discrepancy – only about 30,000 residents of Nacogdoches compared to Phoenix which had an estimated population in October of 2010 by the City of Phoenix of 1.5 million), I found it just as much fun. So let me introduce you to Vivian.


Vivian is a self-admitted character. I think you can tell that from her face. She has an overflowing personality and is a vendor at the market. Vivian is a member of the Nacogdoches Art League and she now has me interested in watching for their annual show which should come along in early summer. She is an artist working in several media. Her display at the farmers market included crocheted baby caps and beautiful throws made from upholstery remnants. She also paints and her crafts are for sale at the Wildflower, a shop featuring the works of local artisans. In addition, she is a green girl, a recycler. The beret she wore today was crocheted from Kroger plastic grocery store bags! Don’t you think it’s stylish? You go, girl, Vivian, and thanks for being my No. 24 Stranger!

Oh, BTW, I think Vivian is my best Stranger yet!  I feel like I hit the jackpot!

Wood, Weeds and Brick

Alley door of a retail shop in Nacogdoches, Texas.  They must not use it too often because this is a berry vine and it is very stickery!

Spring is Here!

There's not a prettier sight than redbud trees against a beautiful Texas sky!

Brick Detail ~ Crockett, Texas

The outline of the State of Texas caught my eye on a red brick building on a recent trip to Crockett (yes, it's named for Davy Crockett, the frontiersman who died 175 years ago last Sunday at the Alamo fighting for Texas independence).

Reflections of Blue

Downtown Nacogdoches, Texas 

The entire downtown area of Nacogdoches has been proclaimed a historic site in Texas and every single building in the downtown is considered historic.  Each building is marked with a plaque giving its history.  Unfortunately I failed to make a note of this bulding's history but I promise to go back and do it!

Tulip Tree Blossoms

Balancing on a High Wire

This is my favorite little bird who visits our feeders.  We believe him to be a pine warbler.  And why not?  We're in the middle of one of the largest pine forests in the world.  In fact, our area is known as the Piney Woods, approximately 54,400 square miles, an area considered by the the World Wide Fund for Nature  to be one of the critically endangered ecoregions of the United States.  In some ways that's hard for me to believe, having come here from Phoenix where we had air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution, and the environment here seems so unspoiled.  But I suppose the fragile nature of the place makes it very vulnerable to the activities of mankind.

The Best-Looking Old Barn in the County

For those of you out there still in the throes of winter with snow on the ground, please don't thinking I'm bragging when I say this picture was taken on February 27 and this is what most of our pastures look like right now!

Fence No. 1

The Old North Church Cemetery

The Old North Church Cemetery is located on the southern and western sides of the Old North Church featured in yesterday's blog.  The oldest marked grave is that of Saletha Easter Whitaker in 1845, but oral tradition suggests that William Whitaker was already interred in a brick vault by the time Richard Sparks set aside land on this site for use as a community graveyard in 1838.  Dr. John Sparks in that same year deeded ten acres for the church site.  Burials of interest include those of veterans of the American Revolution (William Sparks, 1761-1848), the War of 1812, and the Texas Revolution.  Records indicate that some 47 Confederate soldiers are buried in the southern portion of the cemetery, and 21 Union soldiers are interred in unmarked graves.  Most of the Union veterans were victims of an epidemic of dysentery during the Reconstruction era.

Many family plots are partitioned with ornate ironwork.

I do not plan to have my body interred in the earth,

but if I did it would be under a pine tree.

The Old North Church

The Old North Church in Nacogdoches, Texas, was originally known as the Union Church because several denominations joined together to worship as early as 1836.  A small log church was completed in 1838 on 10 acres of land donated by Dr. John M. Sparks (many of Sparks' descendants are buried in the church cemetery).  Currently known as the Old North Baptist Church, the present structure dates from 1852 and in its graveyard rest many of the leading Anglo-American settlers of Nacogdoches County.  Tomorrow I hope to bring you a couple of pictures from the North Church Cemetery.

Scrambled Eggs

Scrambled Eggs (or sometimes called Butter and Eggs) is an heirloom double-flowered daffodil dating back at least as far as the 1700s.  Yesterday my mom and I went over to what we call the old home place on our farm where my grandparents'  house was located to check on the daffodils that remain in what used to be my grandmother's front yard.  The area is filled this time of the year with clumps of paperwhites, a few clumps of yellow jonquils, and lots of these Scrambled Eggs.  They are apparently somewhat rare today and much sought after it seems.  I fully intend to go back in the fall and dig some up for dividing and replanting.  We had a very late killing frost here which probably accounts for the brown marks on some of the petals.