SCREAM

 

If you step back and look at street art it’s a pretty basic medium. I enjoy the “in your face” approach and renegade approach the artists take it’s pretty amazing. I am in no way an expert of the form but I like that ballsy approach and not asking for permission to share your ideas. We need random acts of art; it ties us all together and doesn’t force us into galleries or shows to appreciate it.

Cottin Pick'n

Agriculture has always been a huge part of my life and in many ways shaped me. I remember my family using tools and tractors that predated us all to break the land and haul away its bounty’s and waste. One item that I remember fondly but gave little attention to was the cotton trailer. I remember my dad driving to remove it from his uncle’s barn a few hours away as a child and the day it took to bring it home in the hot summer sun. I remember it fondly being there in my childhood and serving its built purpose. I saw it last time I was home and forgotten how something so bulky and tall was actually quite the opposite. The wood has rotten the metal has lost its paint and given way to rust and grime but the beast still shows its able to carry its burden.

Flatlander

Flatheads Forever

I spy

Growing up with “do it yourselfer” parents I seem to have developed a sixth sense for spotting the beauty in discarded relics of Americana. I love old cars, homes, and a Sunday at the antique mall is pretty relaxing even if I can’t afford to buy all the neat things I come across. It’s fun to see how far we’ve come and what has and hasn’t changed to make our lives easier.  These are “unpicked” items in their natural environment and like most really great things this sight is slowly fading away.

Boy on Fire

Summer time always makes me want to eat BBQ. Something about the heat and smoke this time of year always draws me in. In addition to those tasty smoked meats I always like to see what advertising is out there to bring in the hungry travelers. Ruthie’s in Navasota, Texas always catches my eye when I’m passing through. I can only recall eating there once in my life and I couldn’t say it was the best or even good it’s been about twenty years so my opinion would be skewed. But the fact that the building, the business, and the signage are still up and running may indicate that it in fact is pretty damn good.  If you’re heading down Highway 105 stop in and see what’s going on at Ruthie’s it’s the season.

Home

If it’s true you can never go back and if it’s true that home is where the heart is then how does a nomad find his or her place in this world? We live in the gilded age of travel and connection and access; it’s no stretch for anyone to have multiple “homes” in their life these days. I recently decided to cast the wheels off my traveling road show and settle for a moment in my beloved Austin and I bought myself a home. It’s a bit of a project but as  am I and it’s fitting for who and what I see myself to be so I signed the papers spent the cash and I’m now a homeowner. Once I found myself knee deep in paperwork, emails, faxes, and phone calls I made a dash to my hometown for holiday and decided to stop at the very first home I lived in. My memory was unjust to the gables and stones the tin and wood  and warmth that home represented to my parents young family. I see my recent purchase and know that I may have left home but home never really left me.

Lucky

 

All things considered 2013 is shaping up to be a great year. I looked back at this little blog and realized I’ve been working on it for year now. In the beginning my goal was never to have a million followers or set the world on fire with my writing skills. I started this to share what I see and how I see the things that shape my life. I hope the folks who stumble upon my offerings appreciate what I do and I hope to be able to keep this up for another year.