More Lubbock Views and Vistas!

I did not take any pics July 4th, but back in 1998 or 1999 I was at Fourth on Broadway and I took lots of pics then. I will share one of those pics, since nothing changes very much:

But note that it was raining! VERY unusual!

The weekend my wife and I drove around downtown, we paused at the old Kress building. Right across the street was the old JC Penny building!

And then we circled around and found a rather odd building, abandoned of course, like most of the buildings in downtown Lubbock. I took a bunch of photos there. This particular ruin had a gargoyle!

It looks to me to be emblematic of the sort of spirit that would preside and reign over this hot, dry, windy, dusty, insular, otherworldly, burg. Here is another view:

Welcome to Lubbock, and abandon hope! Heh. Heh. There were cryptic signs as well:

Did we stumble upon the hidden heart of this morbidly self-righteous city? If so, that heart is in need of repair...

 What's that pot for?

To be continued...

 
 

Fourth on Broadway...

... is the largest, in terms of attendance, outdoor street festival known to man, or something like that, and actually it is one of the nice things about Lubbock. My wife and I skipped the parade but we were there for the music and food. The weather was exceptional but it seemed to me that attendance was down. After that we took a break and then found a spot near McKenzie Park to watch the fireworks. Nice evening, good fireworks display, but very heavy traffic. It took a long time to leave the area. Traffic control was good, but the sheer number of vehicles was hard to deal with. A lot of enthusiastic amateurs got in the act. Talk about burning up money! Fireworks aren't that cheap!

LUBBOCK VISTAS!

So, my wife and I took that little drive last weekend, and our first stop was in downtown. I stopped to take these pics of a wall. See the wall?

That's quite a wall! And in case you missed it, here is another view, with one of Lubbock's lofty
SKYSCRAPERS in the background!

 See the SKYSCRAPER? Take a close look, and note the crumbling facade. 

And then we took a look at a Historic Downtown Landmark, the old Kress building, formerly home to a Goodwill thrift store:

Take a look in the window!

See, Lubbock has no history to speak of, and the City Council is always too busy squabbling to care about what little history Lubbock has. A historic place in Lubbock is pretty much a joke.

Kress, and nobody cares... 

One thing you find in downtown Lubbock, is neat alleys! This one is like a portal to nowhere, and somehow that seems very appropriate.

To be continued...


 

Susan Grisanti RIP

I was saddened last night to learn of Susan Grisanti's death. I was one of her students at one time. She was always patient and full of encouragement. My talent is pretty limited but she encouraged me to play guitar for the pure pleasure of it. She was also very kind to my wife's grandson, and helped him become a musician. Susan loved guitar, and all varieties of guitar music, from high classical to folk, to blues, to rock and metal. She also taught keyboards. She was an excellent teacher and a wonderful human being. She will be missed. She was part of Lubbock's unique musical culture.

Judo jokes

Recently, I came up with a number of "judo jokes"-- where that stuff came from I do not know. I haven't done any psychoactive drugs, as far as I know. I will share them with the world, because they are just so darned funny! Of course, Mark Trail cracks me up too. All those grouse and speckled trout.

You know what black belts in judo like to do during the Christmas season? Go chopping.

You know where judo black belts like to get auto parts? A chop shop.

A couple of black belts in judo went fishing but they weren't out long because the water was too choppy.

Of course, even an expert in judo gets sore, cracked lips, but not to worry  because they always carry chopsticks.

Judo workouts can be tough and dirty, so black belts always keep a roll of chop towels handy.

The motto at some judo academies is "chop 'til you drop".

Black belts in judo really like classical music-- but Chopin is best.

Unfortunately, that's all I can recall.