These are pics taken years ago, many years ago, when the celebration was centered on Broadway between University and Avenue Q. That's when it was still good. In the evening, fireworks took place in McKenzie Part. So I took these photos more than a dozen years ago and posted them on Unofficial Lubbock. We had had a lot of rain, and it still threatened rain.
These were the preparations for the fireworks.
It was very hot and very humid, the water was stagnant, and the entire park smelled of rotting vegetation, dead frogs, and stagnant water. Mosquitoes were rampant.
It would be nice to have so much rain again.
There were still traces of a swimming pool that was shut down in the late fifties, I believe. My wife remembered it.
This theater was a new thing, then.
You can't do something like this without a lot of toilets.
Fourth on Broadway needs to go back where it used to be. Keep the fireworks in the park. My wife and I watched the fireworks in the park ONE time and that was enough. It took two hours to get back home because the traffic was so heavy. Not worth it.
Just not that much to photograph in Ralls.
I think one of the damaged structures was a cotton gin and that could put some people out of work in Ralls-- a major economic disaster.
Typical in towns like this, are all the abandoned and dilapidated houses.
And not much changes.
I photographed this tractor five years ago or so, the last time we visited Ralls. It's still there in the same spot but rustier. The town is still there, but more dilapidated. And now, after that storm---
If a trade war kills the cotton farmers, these towns are toast. And they'll have only themselves to blame. Vote for a dim-witted con-man and reap the harvest of ruin. Serves you right.
Yes, we have no business. Good-bye, Ralls, and good riddance.
Now more camera tests. The sunflowers are back and I wanted to try the zoom feature in the garden. So I sat outside one cloudy evening and tried some test shots.
The image stabilization works quite well, even in less than ideal lighting conditions.
Not as good as the Nikon, of course, but lighter and less bulky. Sometimes I really need something quite compact with a good lens.
AA batteries are also a nice feature. I use rechargeable batteries and I can pack two sets in the carrying case easily. So it'll do. This camera will work for me.
These were the preparations for the fireworks.
It was very hot and very humid, the water was stagnant, and the entire park smelled of rotting vegetation, dead frogs, and stagnant water. Mosquitoes were rampant.
It would be nice to have so much rain again.
There were still traces of a swimming pool that was shut down in the late fifties, I believe. My wife remembered it.
This theater was a new thing, then.
You can't do something like this without a lot of toilets.
Fourth on Broadway needs to go back where it used to be. Keep the fireworks in the park. My wife and I watched the fireworks in the park ONE time and that was enough. It took two hours to get back home because the traffic was so heavy. Not worth it. 
