It's been hot! Yesterday there was a break in the weather pattern (if you can call "only" reaching 95 instead of 104 a break) and rain was in the forecast. So Saturday morning I decided to grab the camera, hop in the SUV, and head toward the most rain-promising locale on the radar screen. This meant traveling southwest of Dallas.
Taking photographs of county courthouses is my "thing"... well, actually, one of more than a few "things". Regardless, there are more than 250 counties in Texas and the courthouse styles are as varied as the number of counties! Some are modern day marvels. Others are sorely in need of revitalization. Most are of an architectural style and grandeur from a former era. They are quaint, charming, incredible photo ops, and rarely a disappointment. There are a few that fail to impress, but in general the scenery along the way as I travel to these courthouses makes the trip worthwhile and the day declared a success even when the courthouse is forgettable.
Yesterday was no exception when it came to courthouses. First we stopped in Bosque County (pronounced like bahs-key), then Hamilton County (which was the disappointment of the day because of the construction around the perimeter of the building), and finally Brown County. The fourth structure is the former Brown County Jail, built in 1902. WOW!! The inmates were literally being held captive in a [mini-] castle. I wonder if there was a dungeon or secret passageways!!
As we drove further west, a dirt road with some old buildings caught my eye. We turned around to investigate and found as near a ghost town as one can find surrounded by civilization. This was the town of Lamkin, Texas. The downtown strip boasted 3 - 4 buildings, all in shambles. The word "Merchandise" was faintly visible on one store front and another building barely identified itself as Stewart's Groceries. So sad. Then I start to wonder the how, why, who, etc. of what once was and why it is no more.
Stopped to experiment with pictures of cactus. We always called these prickly-pear cactus. No doubt there is a more formal name for this plant.
Close-up. Since my curiosity is insatiable at best, naturally I had to touch the green spines. They are SOFT!! It is the little brown tuft behind that is a bristle capable of sticking in one's flesh.
This was Gentry's Mill Cemetery. It remains the strangest cemetery I've ever seen. It was all rocks and stone. NO GRASS or LAWN of any sort. There were a couple trees that may or may not have been intentionally planted, but any vegetation (very little green capable of survival in rock dirt!) sprung up on its own. The temperature outside was very hot as we read the gravestones, but in the back of my mind as we wandered the arid terrain was a vigilant eye for spiders, scorpions, and snakes. Texas can be a harsh place at times.
Another of my favorite things to capture with the camera.... old, deserted, overgrown, unloved alley ways. Yet another of my quirks.
As we travel from each little city there is a great deal of open country. Most is ranch land: cattle, horses, sometimes a few crops. Some of the entrances to ranches can be quite ornate and some most probably costing more than my whole house. Other entrances are nothing more than a sign telling the name of the ranch or displaying the cattle brand. Yesterday we saw one that required a double-take, then a u-turn for a third and fourth look, followed by a photograph. I can't show the pic here because I don't wish to place inappropriate words on the blog site, but the name was "DEEP SH*T CATTLE COMPANY". No joke!!! That made our day.
The trek back toward Dallas included a repeat visit in Dublin, Texas to the oldest Dr. Pepper plant in existence. We were there a few months ago. Why did we have to intentionally go again? Because I collect hat pins (some people call them lapel pins) of the places to which we adventure [if they are available]. I stick these on my camera bag rather than a hat as a memento of our travels. On the 4th of July we were in a very large crowd and the pin I had on my bag from Dr. Pepper Dublin got lost somehow. I was disappointed and H "made me" go again to replace it. Thanks, H!!
The last stop on our journey was at Love's Truck Stop in Midlothian, Texas to get some beef jerky. We got home about 9 pm. It was a long, tiring, wonderful day!
As for the rain.... never found any!!
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