Closer Looks 8

 Old and comforting stuff.

Those were better days.

Closer Looks 7

 Wind events here, wind events there, and even a little bit of rain overnight. And that I didn't expect. So now it warms again and the wind will wind up again. Around and around it goes. 

But the past must always be there since it determines the present, and as the present becomes incorporated into the past, that new entity, past plus what was present, determines another present moment that must differ from the prior present moment, and it all makes more sense with differential equations, I guess. If it makes sense at all, and probably it does not. I do know that I like to look at this old stuff and take different slices, changing the focus. 

More Lubbock Angels

 They get caught on various things, fences especially, and you can sometimes find them hung up on ribbon wire and ripped to shreds by the relentless wind. Of that relentless wind we have had a lot lately. The dust was thick yesterday. Today maybe not quite so windy and maybe not as dusty. Springtime in Lubbock is generally pretty awful. It's a truly crappy season in this area. And rain prospects are dim. Parts of Texas are burning. 

The cat just happened to be there. 

When I was attending what used to be Texas Technological College, we used to say that it was always windy here because Lubbock sucked. That's what we said. It's a fact. We said that. I don't think I ever met anyone who really liked Lubbock. The goal then was to have Lubbock in your rearview mirror.

Closer Looks 6

It's kind of windy and dusty today but still warm. I got some things done outside and that's important. 

 What I find refreshing is a tall glass of tonic water with ice and a healthy splash of grapefruit juice. That's what I'm having right now. In the evening, I like Franzia Chardonnay with ice. At some point this summer I'll be buying Shiner Bock. I have a wine glass large enough to hold one can or bottle and I'll keep that glass in the freezer until I'm ready to use it. When I'm done with the beer I'll rinse the glass and fill it with chilled Chardonnay. Cheap thrills are made of this.

Closer Looks 5

 What terrific weather we've been having. I've certainly been enjoying it. 

These closer looks are a way for me to potter about in the past, a much better and happier past, although you might not think that based on the subject matter. It was all about prowling around and discovering things. There was something childlike about it. Let's see what's over there! Let's see what we can find! And then, with the camera and computer software, to try to enhance what we found or squeeze a bit of hidden beauty out of objects or scenes we unearthed. A lot of human artifacts have a rich texture and interesting bits of color and variations in brightness that form  compositions when framed in various ways. Fun for both of us. Those were the days. I'm sorry they're gone. I still do some of that, but going solo is not much fun, and more than a little sad. There was also the thrill of documenting the ephemeral, freezing it in time. A lot of the stuff we used to photograph is gone or no longer accessible.