recuerdos

A furniture store sign evokes memories of used-to-bes. Saturday mornings looking for the right piece, the one that goes with all the others. Morning light streaming through display windows, the smell of leather and chemical-treated couches. Salespeople eager to help. Fat white women wearing denim shirts with ducks or flowers embroidered on them. Talk, talk, talk.
On to the next store, the one with wall-sized paintings and deals you can't resist. The cheaper the furniture, the stronger the smell of chemicals. The salesmen wear gaudy clothes, the selection is mind boggling.
Lunch. We talk about it, haven't seen it yet.
Back home in the afternoon, empty-handed, tired and a little cranky. Another round next weekend. Maybe we'll pull some weeds later, or tomorrow.

I miss it, I think.

Como una pluma

I didn't think I'd make it. The night before I had stayed up way later than I hoped, and the thing was starting at 6 in the morning. And it was at lake Travis, which is about twenty miles away. But somehow I awoke after four hours of sleep and was ready in time.
Glad I made. It was a gorgeous morning over the lake and there were more balloonists than anticipated. I knew I would make some good pictures. What I wasn't sure of was whether or not I would go up in one of balloons.
After talking to a PR flack from a gas company, I ended up inviting myself on Rick Hatzel's balloon. He graciously accepted me and it was a fantastic ride. It only took about 40 minutes to cross the lake, but it was a beautiful 40 minute experience.
And the pictures were good.

La tarde

I went to pick up some Vietnamese for dinner and decided to drive down Pleasant Valley on the way home. It was a longer route, but it was worth it, I knew it would be. How could it not, with this sunset?

¡que cool!

My oldest brother was her dad, though he was hardly ever around. I tried to be with her as much as I could, Judy was a great kid. I idolized my brother, he influenced me in many ways, including my taking a shine to old cars. This was my 1949 Ford, all original, the flathead engine had little compression left and was difficult to start without a push. But it ran great once it got going. I loved that truck. I also had and old Mustang, the one on the background. That was a fun car.

Primera Comunión

My sister Rachel and went through a lot of things together, we went all through school in the same grade. Her birthday is in September, mine is in August. She had to wait a year to start school, so we began in the same year. We also made our First Holy Communion on the same day. We look sharp, yes?

Mucho antes

We lived on Virginia Street in Corpus Christi, it was the poor side of town. Our backyard had no grass, so when it rained the whole thing would become a mud pit. My mom and I built the boardwalks to avoid the mud. This photo is of my sister Thelma, left, me, and my sister Rachel. I made the Bat Man shirt myself, was pretty proud of it, too.

Osteones

The BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is not expected to hit the Texas coast directly. But a direct result of the spill could be a death blow to the oyster industry here. With oystering all but dead in Louisiana waters, many of those oystermen will scrape the reefs along the Texas coast. Those reefs are still recovering from the effects of Hurricane Ike in 2007. Fragile, weak, and slowly recovering, the reefs will not be able to sustain themselves through an onslaught of overfishing.
I went along with a crew from La Porte for a day of dredging up oysters in Galveston Bay. It's hard work, you have to love it to do it. The pay is a pittance for the crew, they make in a whole day what the company owner makes in two gallons of oysters sold.

Flor muerta

An orchid flower gave it's all, now it's dead.

Rebekah

Rebekah relaxes on a hot Saturday afternoon.

Caballos lijeros

These horses once raced. Now, after no longer providing prize money for their former owners, they live a slow-paced, tranquil life on a farm near Bastrop, Texas. The farm's owner once raced, too -- in the rat race we seem to all be caught in. She took her prize money (a severance package) and and bought the small farm. Now she, too, lives a slow-paced, tranquil life.

La Elefanta

I met Rebekah after seeing her day after day at my favorite taco joint. I finally went up to her one morning and introduced myself. We've been talking regularly since then, she is fun and a great subject for photos. She has a thing for elephants.

Mi Madre

Though her body long ago ceased to exist, her spirit lives on. Though I can no longer touch her, I still feel her soothing caresses. Though death silenced her voice, I still hear her wisdom-filled words. Though I can no longer hear her say it, I still feel her fierce love for me. Though I can no longer go there, I still smell the goodness coming from her tiny kitchen. Though she can no longer feed me, I am still nourished by the life she lived. Though I am an old man, I am still, and will forever be, her little boy.

Happy mother's day, Ma, I miss you terribly.

Una Tarde

I was driving 'round with no particular thing in mind and decided to shoot a few pictures as the sun began to descend. The air cooled, the light softened, my spirit rose. It was a beautiful evening in Austin.

La Marcha

Thousands of people in all colors and ages marched in protest of a new law in Arizona that deals harshly with immigrants, gives police wide latitude in enforcing it, and creates an excuse for racial profiling. And that's just the beginning. Thankfully, however, steps are being taken all around the country to keep the law from being enforced as it is written.

Luz fria

On certain days, at a certain time, a certain light streams through the window that opens old wounds. It's cold and blue and unsympathetic.

A fish placed his hopes in the lure of a fisherman's hook and paid a dear price. Just a short time ago it swam in a quiet, gentle river flowing with clear water and warmed by the spring sun, abundant with life after the rains and far from peril. Or at least it seemed so. Now, after a lapse in judgment, it lies in tortuous rigor mortis, its gut split open by the hand of someone with a numb heart, its snout open, seeming to take the last gasp of life from an environment he no longer understands. Stupid fish.

Melancholy

A turkey buzzard soars around me, does it sense the death in me?

El centro de noche

Downtown at night from the Congress Ave. Bridge as cars and a bus go by.

It's here

Spring has arrived in Texas. It's warming into the 80s during the day and cooling to the low 50s at night. Who could ask for better weather? And the wildflower season is looking like it's going to be spectacular! Lots of good rain and cold during the winter promises to make it a memorable bloom this year. There will be photos.
This early patch is between San Antonio and Corpus Christi.

It was Valentine's Day and valentines were scarce. But the day started out where the evening before had left off: Beautiful. What to do on such a day? The warm sun gets the blood moving. Can't stay home on a day like today, let's do something!
Clouds roll in before plans are laid. There's still hope, surely they'll blow away.
More clouds come, the air takes a deep breath, then blows it all out in a cold, stiff wind. It's relentless. Any heat that had developed is quickly replaced by the North's cold breath. No more beautiful day, no more outdoors activities.
A nap, or at least an attempt at it, a shopping trip to the fish store, a little paint slapped onto an old canvas. Phone calls about what to do now.
The book store, the market. Some food, some wine, a little bubbly. The best company.
No sun? No problem. At night, the wind blows carrying away the clouds and revealing the stars. It's lovely.