First Methodist Church of Nacogdoches

Magnolia Blossom

Mom's magnolia tree actually still had a few blooms and several buds in early July.  There were gone by the time I left at the end of the month.

Stockman Community Church

Stockman Community, Shelby County, Texas

A sleepy little community in Deep East Texas

Vacation Photos

If you're interested in seeing my picture-a-day vacation photos, PLEASE VISIT MY 365 PROJECT BLOG.  I completed the 365 photos on July 23 and I am posting them in chronological order at that site.

Arizona's Badlands

I learned this trick from my daughter ~ sit near the wing of the aircraft and concentrate your photos on the landscape or the clouds. 

In the US the "Badlands" generally refer to South Dakota but as I was traveling from Phoenix and flying over New Mexico this area said "badlands" to me.  I tried to imagine what it would be like to traverse this land in a covered wagon or on horseback or even on foot, as many people did.  Many did not survive but those who did conquered the West!  If you look closely the S-shaped curve shows a moving train, the transportation mode that connected east to west in this great expansive country we call the USA.

I've been away for the past three-plus weeks.  I hope to get caught up with everyone's blogs within the next few days.

Going Home

My vacation this year has been moved up a few weeks due to some health issues my mom has been having.  So about this time tomorrow I'll be heading up this road ...

and when I get to the top of the hill I will be there.

I will have limited access to a computer and the Internet while I'm away but there will be fun things in store when I return.  I'll look forward to catching up with all my bloggie friends toward the end of the month.

The Old Movie Theater

Garrison, Nacogdoches County, Texas

I grew up in a little town of about 1,500 people in the 1950s.  The 2000 census listed its population as 844.  One of these two buildings on the town square (which really isn't a square because it only has three sides) was the movie theater where we watched The Lone Ranger, Sky King, Ma and Pa Kettle, The Little Rascals, The Three Stooges, Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Hopalong Cassidy, Ava Gardner in Mogambo, Rosemary Clooney, Doris Day, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, Laurel and Hardy, Tyrone Power, Stewart Granger, Joseph Cotton, and lots and lots of Tom and Jerry and Woody Woodpecker cartoons.  I say it's the blue building but my friend thinks it's the brown one.  I think I win because I believe those two windows on either side of the door aren't really windows but are glass-covered boxes which held the movie posters.  But I just may be having selective memory.  There was a balcony but we never went up there because these were the days of segregation and people of color had to sit there.  They were not allowed to sit in the downstairs portion.  They went to a separate school.  Their fathers were laborers, their mothers were maids.  Many of them never finished high school, much less went on to college.  We silly little privileged white kids (although my family was not very affluent, we had a certain privileges because of our race) didn't know any of them.  I'm glad those days have changed.  Although our society has changed, and thank God for that, we still have many prejudices to overcome.  Someday, but probably not in my lifetime, my hope is that people everywhere will accept their neighbors for the richness they bring to our lives rather than their color or their religion or their nationality or their political beliefs.  Tomorrow we celebrate our independence day and in addition to a day of celebration, it should be a day of reflection to ponder what independence really means.

East Texas Rainbow

This is my mom's back yard which looks out on her pasture and her creek (which is surrounded by all those trees), and it is of course topped with that beautiful Texas sky which has no pollution and in which you can see a bejillion stars every night.  The pink flowers at the upper right are from a crepe myrtle tree.  I'll be going there soon and will show you more of it then.

8/100 Strangers - Lisa

Lisa is one of the street people you might encounter near the grounds of the Arizona State Capitol.  She actually encountered me as I returned to my car after a tour of an historic home in the area.  She said, "Whatcha doin'?  Just takin' a buncha pitchers?"  I replied, "Sure.  You want me to take your picture?"  She stood very straight with her shoulders back and posed.  When I showed her the screen she asked if I'd take another one.  I did and asked her if she liked that one any better.  She told me she'd like to take my camera and take a picture of her sister.  I had to politely decline, and as I turned to go to my car, she waved and said, "God bless you."

And God bless you, Lisa.

P.S.  I received an e-mail this week from the wife of Guy - Stranger 5/100 (posted here on June 19) - who said she believed that was the best picture that had ever been taken of him and that it captured his personality completely.  My goodness!  I walked around with my peacock feathers all fluffed for several days!

Untitled

Picture this wall immediately to the left side of the picture of the Old Outdoor Fireplace in yesterday's post.  This is still not the wall I originally went to photograph when I stopped by this place.

Old Outdoor Fireplace

There is a large vacant lot about a mile from my house that I pass frequently.  One day last week I noticed a block wall on one side of the lot that had some deteriorating stucco over red brick with a beautiful patch of bougainvillea cascading over the top of it so I made an appointment with myself to go back early some morning to check it out further because I've become fascinated with old brick and old stucco.  I made sure to leave my sandals at home and wear good shoes because the ground was covered with lots of dead brown  grass, and who knows what lurks in such stuff.  While checking out the wall I happened to notice in the far back corner of the lot along the wall that separates the property from the adjacent owner this old outdoor fireplace.  It has a brick hearth, a flagstone and brick patio, the red brick bench, a wood cabinet and even the remnants of burned wood in the fireplace.  There obviously once was a home here (I've been in the area 30 years and I don't remember a house in this spot) and this is all that remains.  I love how the early morning sunlight pokes its head through the vines and the trees to splash in dappled masses on the patio.  Maybe tomorrow I'll show you the wall which originally drew me to find this treasure of a spot.

Phoenix Union High School

The Auditorium

The Auditorium was rebuilt, but maintains the original 1911 cornerstone, in 1929 to be more energy efficient and to seat a greater number of students.

The Domestic Arts and Sciences Building

Return to the main blog for the third building of the PUHS campus and a short history.

Milk Can

7/100 Strangers - Carissa

I met Carissa last week at the farmers market at a farmers market booth.  No, that is not redundant.  The organization that hosts the farmers markets in the greater Phoenix area has a booth that disseminates information about the market and this year has instituted a service where one can charge their purchases on a credit card.  Many of the merchants are cash only but now they will give shoppers a receipt for their goods and the customers can present the receipt to Carissa who will process the credit card charge.  Carissa, a native Nebraskan, immediately agreed to be one of my "strangers."  I was initially attracted to her Western hat, her feathery earrings, and the reflecting sunglasses.  She is extremely photogenic.  Every picture I took was a keeper!  Thank you, Carissa!