Sunday, April 24, 2016

Now We Are In Smyer

And Smyer is very near to Lubbock, but we have not visited this town before. There is not much to it. It consists mostly of trailer parks. I found two buildings worth photographing.




I think this place is Smyer's official Halloween spookhouse.




Every town needs one of those.




It is not really being "maintained" by the city, but someone does mow the lawn. Otherwise the weeds would be twelve feet tall.

 And then in the middle of an isolated thicket, we found this structure. It might have been a dry goods store at one time. It sits by itself on a small plot of land that is completely overgrown.


Are these old buildings examples of historical preservation or simply neglect? Whatever they are, they are the only things in Smyer of any interest whatsoever.



While I investigated this ruin, I was investigated by some small dogs from a trailer park across the street. I was in no danger. They were just showing that they were on the job, sort of. They lost interest pretty quickly.






 This fellow hung around for awhile, maybe hoping for a dog biscuit.

That's Smyer. It's a city of ruins and trailer parks. I see no reason for us to return, at least not in the near future.

 

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

Old Cars On The Tahoka Highway

These old cars are behind a chain link fence, but I did the best I could.




If you were trying to restore these cars, or if you were selling them for parts, I could understand keeping them. But these, like most of the old cars you find in Lubbock, are simply rusting away.




Maybe they have sentimental value.





The next update will feature views of SMYER! Smyer is a very small town near Lubbock, so small that most of it consists of trailer parks. It could be likened to a trailer park that grew into a town, but barely.  

 

Tuesday, April 19, 2016

That Old Ruin, Out On That Old Tahoka Highway

We're all out, pedal to the metal, on that Ol' Terhokey HIIIIIGHway.




Having taken so many of these pics, I believe I understand abstract expressionism a bit more. Meanwhile, this used to be THE STRIP, where Lubbock went to kick out their jams, and they had a lot of jams. It took a lot of liquor, beer, and wine to relief the chronic moral and intellectual constipation of living in Lubbock when it was dry. Head out to the strip, where the lights were bright, the neons beckoned, and the booze could be had. Cheap dreams were made of this. But there was still nothing to do in town. Nothing to do but drive drunk, cruise the drive-ins, get in trouble. I knew people, like my first college roommate, who came to Lubbock from Winters, Texas. He got in a LOT of trouble.




Next time, it'll be OLD CARS on the Tahoka Highway! There are a lot. I have not even begun to photograph all the old junkers on that stretch of road.