Oak Grove Cemetery

Nacogdoches, Texas

Layland Museum/Carnegie Library - Cleburne, Tx

I'm always astounded at the beauty of Carnegie Libraries.

In 1902 members of the Cleburne, Texas, Women's Club met with New York industrialist and benefactor Andrew S. Carnegie to secure funds for a building of a local library.  This beautiful Beaux-Arts and Classical Revival style library was completed in 1905.  It housed a theater on the second floor.

Now the Layland Museum, the Carnegie Library in Cleburne served as the local public library until 1978.

Highbrow Fence

This elegant, highbrow fence can be found on a 19th Century mansion in Galveston, Texas.

Linking to Friday Fences

I went to Italy!

Italy, Texas, that is!  Of course here it's pronounced IT-lee and it has no ties as far as anyone knows to that wonderful country on the European continent.  The postmaster in 1880 simply gave the town its name because he imagined the climate was similar to that of Italy.

My greatest find in Italy was this wonderful old truck, parked out of the sun under a cover.  But rust is still a four-letter word.

There are about 1800 Eye-TAL-yuns (what else could I call them - It-lee-ites?) living in this sleepy little town about 50 miles due south of Dallas.

Church Spires

I saw some beautiful churches on my trip last weekend.  I love these metal spires on the First Baptist Church in Farmersville, a little town of 3,000 people about 50 miles east of Dallas.  It claims to be the home of Audie Murphy, as does nearby Greenville.  For those of you who are younger than 60, Audie Murphy was a World War II hero who came back from the war to become a very popular movie star in the 1950s starring primarily in war movies.  Farmersville was a charming little town other than the fact it has the roughest roads of any town I have ever experienced.  The downtown area is red brick but it drives like it's been through an earthquake, and the other streets are paved but that was probably when Audie Murphy was a little boy!

Freestone County, Texas

Near Wortham, Freestone County, North Central Texas

Despite poor lighting conditions and getting locked inside a hotel room, 

my three-day road trip was well worth the getaway!

I didn't find many barns to photograph, but I had three whole days

to myself to travel 800 miles through North Central Texas.

LINKING TO TRICIA'S BARN CHARM

Protecting the Ruins

Beautiful wrought iron fencing with fleur-de-lis 

has been constructed to protect some of the ruins 

found in the former ghost copper mining town of Jerome, Arizona.

Joining with other fence fanatics at Friday Fences

(Note:  I am leaving early Friday morning for a three-day road trip through North Central Texas.  

I hope to replenish my supply of fence and barn photographs 

and see a section of the state I have not as yet visited.  

I'll try to get caught up on all your blogging adventures upon my return.)

The Window to Nowhere

Farm Pond

Trumpet Flower

SOOC

The Head Guy

Tattoo

Sunset on Pinkston Lake

Shelby County, Texas

Silo

I can only assume that this silo once belonged to a farm.  Today it stands as a sentry in a park adjacent to Chimp Haven chimpanzee sanctuary near Keithville, Louisiana.