I returned to the water tower on Avenue W. We photographed that structure very early. We were not even married yet.
I know all sorts of thing about Lubbock's water infrastructure and I wanted to share some of my knowledge with my soon-to-be-wife. She had a healthy curiosity about how things worked in the city and I could explain to her a few things.
This building is deserted now and is for sale, but before we were married we attended a sixtieth wedding anniversary here. I don't remember the connection to my wife but she got an invitation and she seems to have known them from way back. Family friends? I don't think they were classmates. Needless to say, I did not know anyone there but I made polite conversation.
This ruin on Avenue A is yet another place we visited in the early days. It used to be "Air Gas" and when I was a Chemist and running a GC/mass spec and an ICP and several other instruments that required various compressed gases, I ordered them from this company. I got everything except large containers of cryogenic argon-- I had to order that from another company and eventually I switched business to someone who could supply ALL of our gases, which made things a lot simpler for me. Once, an 800 lb container of cryogenic argon dropped off the dolly and onto my foot. I was worried that the container would rupture and I would become a human popsicle. Fortunately that did not happen. My foot was even OK. The kind of lab work I did was rather hazardous. Carcinogens, nerve toxins, hypergolics, outright poisons, high voltages, intense UV, explosive gases, bio-hazards and finally radioactive materials. That's why I got out of it as soon as I could. Did I mention the legal hazards? I was responsible for storing chemicals and disposing of waste according to the code of federal regulations AND any applicable state law. Phew. Am I ever happy to be out of that! I've been out of that since about 2004.
These ruins seem to be all that is left of "Air Gas".
Memories!
Here's the view along Avenue A at this location.
