327/365

Cartoons in Windows

In Coleman, Texas there's a building that has small windows up on the second floor and each of the windows has a cartoon of a farm animal in it.  There are probably 7 or 8 windows and it's really cute to see all the animals peeking out.

326/365

Abilene State Park Pond

I decided to take a ride to the state park this morning.  In all the times I've gone to the park, I've never seen the water in the pond this low.  It's a total surprise since we've had more rain this summer than in the past 5 summers, so what's the deal????

325/365

Cactus Mural

In Coleman, Texas there is a mural on the outside wall of a business that's all cactus and flowers.  It's really beautiful and it faces a large parking lot.  Everyone who parks there can see this beautiful artwork.

324/365

Abandoned Country Road House

My friend and I were taking a drive to Coleman, Texas and we saw this abandoned house on a back road.  There was a fence with a locked gate, so, sadly, we couldn't get any closer to it.

323/365

Monk's Fireplace

My fave coffee shop just underwent a slight remodel.  These flames were painted in the fireplace.  The photo was originally in color, but I tried it in bw and I liked it, so there you go.

322/365

Grinch Christmas

On my way to my fave coffee shop today, I noticed that someone was painting the windows of the shops across the street.  It isn't even Thanksgiving yet, and Christmas scenes are being painted on windows. 

The artist was painting, so I stopped to talk to her.  She was doing a great job so I had to get some photos of her work.

321/365

Round Window and Stump

There's a building in downtown Abilene that has some round windows instead of square or rectangular windows.  I saw this tree stump near the window and thought it would make a nice random image, so here it is. 

320/365

Looking Up

While walking around in downtown Abilene, I saw this fire escape and one of the prompts came to mind.  It was "looking up", so I tried it and I like the way it turned out.

319/365

Rocky zoo enclosure

The Cisco Zoo in Cisco, Texas is open to the public.  Some of the animal enclosures are still visible and it's easy to see how the animals were on display.  The Zoo was opened in 1920 and closed around 1930 when two animals were mysteriously poisoned.  

Now there is a walking trail that's about 1.25 miles through the old zoo area and it's a great place to go to spend some time outdoors, especially if there are children with lots of energy and curiosity.

318/365

Bricks

These bricks are seen within one of the old enclosures in the Cisco Zoo.  The Zoo was opened in 1920 and closed about 10 years later after two of the animals were mysteriously poisoned.

There's a walking trail around the old zoo grounds now and it's a great place to go for a day out especially if there are little kiddos who would love an adventure.

317/365

Cisco Zoo

This zoo opened in 1920 and was open for about 10 years.  It closed after two of the animals were mysteriously poisoned.  

Now there's a walking trail around the grounds and it's a great place to go to spend some time out doors.

                                                                                316/365

Retro Gas Station in Albany, TX

This retro gas station is in Albany, Texas.  It looks like it's being used as an office of some sort based on the paperwork and writing implements on the desk inside the structure.

315/365

Albany Methodist Church

This beautiful Methodist Church is located on a corner of one of the streets in Albany, Texas.  

The three blue circles indicate the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and they intersect at the crossbeam of the cross.

314/365

Alleyway doorways

These two doors and the awning are located in an alleyway in Albany, Texas.   The building seems to be unused at the present time.

313/365

Artwork in a Coffee Shop

I attend a once-a-month bookgroup that's usually held in a local coffee shop.  One of the walls had these framed images in a seating area and I just liked the way they looked.

312/365

Hiking Willie Marsh

In December of 2108 (after we decided to hike year-round) my friends and I hiked a trail called Willie Marsh.  We had done this trail in the warm weather as well.

It was always fun on hiking day because we started out early, ate lunch on the trail and then went to a restaurant on the way home for dinner.

(I actually took this photo and the one in the previous post by putting the camera on a small tripod.)

311/365

Sleeping Beauty Mountain

Back in 2018, before I moved to Texas, these ladies and I would hike once a week in the Adirondacks of NYS.  We started hiking together about 18 years ago only hiking in the warmer weather and then we decided we'd hike all year. In the winter we'd hike just a trail usually, using snow shoes or spikes. It was so beautiful we wondered why we didn't hike year round all those earlier years.

One year we trained all summer to be able to hike Mt Marcy, which is the highest high-peak in the Adirondacks.  It took us 11 hours up and back.  The view from the top was amazing.

In this photo we were holding up one finger to indicate that this was the first in a series of hikes we planned on doing that year.  

Upstate NY is beautiful, unlike central Texas.  Of course the current politics in NY leave a lot to be desired now, but back in those days it wasn't bad.

I miss those gals and those days of hiking.

(and yes, I took the pic by putting the camera on a small tripod)

310/365

Angel Statue

This sweet Angel statue is seen in one of the the small town cemeteries scattered throughout the countryside in rural Texas.

309/365

A Stream

This beautiful stream is located in New Braunfels, Texas.  There's nothing like this near Abilene, so it was irresistible and I couldn't resist getting the shot.

308/365

Wurstfest

I took this photo about 2 years ago in New Braunfels, Texas during their Fall wurst fest.  These guys were more than glad to pose for the photo.

307/365

Christmas Scene

This beautiful Christmas scene was photographed a couple of years ago and was located outside one of the churches in downtown Abilene, Texas during the Christmas season.

306/365

Agricultural Structure

I'm not sure what this structure is but it's pretty imposing in downtown Abilene, TX.  I was there on a day when it was closed and there were no people around.  

It was a beautiful clear day.

305/365

Downtown Church

I had my wide angle lens on the camera and got this image of this downtown church.  No indication about what kind of church it is, but the street view is beautiful. 

304/365

What is It?

I was walking around downtown Abilene today and came across this beautiful building which I've seen many times before.  There are no signs indicating what the structure is for.  It appears to be a large home, but I don't think it is.  It must be some kind of business, but whatever it is, it's beautiful.

303/365

Beautiful Church

It was a gorgeous day today so I went for another walk through town.  I forced myself to use a wide-angle lens, even though I wanted to use my usual lens.  I couldn't have gotten this image with the lens I always use, so this was a treat.

This is a stunning church in downtown Abilene, Texas.  The air was clear, the sky was blue and there were no people walking around, so I could get this image easily. 

302/365

Doughnuts

Today was the last day of early voting here in Abilene.  One of the other clerks was kind enough to bring doughnuts for us this morning.  

Some of us ordered burgers for lunch,  and one of the clerks went out to get them for us.  The price was amazing and the burgers were incredibly delicious.  I guess I'll have to keep that burger place in mind the next time I get a burger craving.  

301/365

Office Building

I'm very seldom out early in the morning when it's still dark, but today I was.  This office building is across the street from where I was headed this morning.  While I was waiting for the door to be opened, I noticed how awesome the building looked.  

It was very early...I wonder what was going on in the offices where the lights were at that time?

Early voting today and tomorrow are 12.5 hour days.  I'm glad all the workers get along and we have some fun during the day.

Election Day will be a 13-14 hour day.  Sigh

300/365

Three Models

When I first moved to Texas, I somehow got connected with a group of photographers who organized a photo shoot with some models.  It was really fun and the girls were totally into the session.

It was great watching the other photographers work and then getting a chance to do some images of my own.  

There's never been another session like that one and I've never seen the girls since then.

299/365

House for Sale 

I had the opportunity to photograph another house that's going on the sale market pretty soon.  It was late in the day and the light was beautiful.  The house is cute.  It's just two bedrooms, a kitchen and a living room.  It needs some work but it would be a great starter house for a new couple or an ending home for an older couple.

The neighborhood in the small town is a little iffy, but with a little work the curb appeal could be improved.

298/365

298/365

The Lion and the Lamb

This beautiful statue is seen outside the entrance to the Sight and Sound Theater

located in Branson, MO.  The venue shows plays from Scripture and they are absolutey spectacular.

The one we saw was "DAVID", which will probably be  showing for the next 1.5 years.

The theater is closed for a few months starting in Jan I think.

The quality of these productions rival anything seen on Broadway.

297/365

Wall Safe

I was in the interior of a building this afternoon and saw this wall safe.  The door went practically from the floor to the ceiling.  I've never seen anything like this in person before.  Very interesting.

It threatened rain all day and finally began raining hard around 4 pm.  It's early evening right now and it's been raining steadily for hours.  Praise God for the rain.  The roads were nearly flooded at certain

intersections so I had to drive very carefully through them to get home, but it's so worth it.

"POLDARK" is being shown on Netflix again.  I've already watched through the series once, but it's irresistible so I'm watching through it again.  What a great show.

296/365

America's Main Street

Painted on a wall in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  Rt 66 runs through this town.

It brought back memories of watching the show when I was a child.

295/365

Butterfly Graffiti

A yellow and black butterfly painted on a wall in Anson, Texas.

294/365

Greer's Shop

An abandoned building painted green in a small Texas town.

293/365

Abandoned Antique Shop    

An abandoned antique shop in a small Texas town.

292/365

Indian totem pole

This totem pole and information center is located at one of the tourist areas in Fairbanks, Alaska.

 

291/365

Clock Tower

This clock tower is on the campus of Hardin-Simons University in Abilene, Texas.  

290/365

Tally's on 66

This great eating place is located on Rt 66.  That might not mean much to some of my readers, but when I was young there was a show on TV called Rt.66 and it was very popular.  Rt. 66 is a destination now for those who know about it.  It goes from the middle of the country to the west coast but is now called other names.  

289/365

Artwork on a Fence

I'm staying at an airbnb tonight.  When I pulled into the driveway I saw all this artwork on the wooden fence and decided that it would make a great photo for today.

Sadly I didn't get out there when there was still some light, but as I walked into the driveway, a security light popped on so I was able to make this image.  

Someone in this house is an artist. 

288/365

Side Entrance

Barnard's Refinishing.  

I don't know if this business is still functioning, but the sign was there along with graffiti on the wall. 

This is located in downtown Abilene, Texas.  

287/365

Front Door

I just thought this looked sweet with the two flower urns on each side of the front door.

286/365

Black/White Fire Escape

I was walking around downtown the other day and I saw this fire escape.  Thought it was interesting so I turned it into black and white.  

I'm sure fire escapes have save many lives, but hopefully they don't get used much.

Weather was beautiful again.  I hope it lasts a long time.  The heat of the summer is just too much and it's great walking around with these temperate temps.

285/365

Closed Shop in Ranger, Texas

This is a closed shop in Ranger, Texas with two random chairs on the front sidewalk. 

284/365

Jacob's Ladder at Abilene Christian University

This beautiful sculpture of Jacob's Ladder is seen on the campus of the

Abilene Christian University. It's in Abilene, Texas on the outskirts of the city. 

The school was founded in 1906 and is associated with the Church of Christ.

283/365

Two-Apartment Building

I'm getting pretty desperate about finding photos for this "photo-a-day" blog.  Seems like I've been posting a lot of abandoned/vacant buildings lately (of which there are many, many, many) and I can't seem to find out what they were in their prime.

So today I walked around Abilene in an area I don't usually walk in, and I came across this building I've seen as I drive by, but I never stopped to take a photo.

This is a pretty new building and I'd love to get into it to see the inside.

Maybe someday.

It's been cooler here lately which is a welcome relief.  The mornings are wonderful even though the afternoons get hot.  The last two weeks of October are early voting weeks and I'm working at the polls, so for at least 2 weeks I'll have something to do.

282/365

Abandoned Bldg in Ranger

I don't know what this building was once upon a time, but now it's just a shell, no walls or floor plan 

inside, just some supporting poles holding up the beams that supported the upper floors.

There are planters along the outside of the lower level, as though someone is trying too make the building/sidewalk look nice.

281/365

Eastland County Courthouse

This beautiful courthouse building is the Eastland County Courthouse located in Eastland, Texas. 

In 2000 the population of the county was a little over 17,000.

The structure is located in the center of the town.

280/365

Two Buildings in Eastland

Today was a field trip to Eastland, TX.  These two buildings are in the downtown area.  The taller one looks to be uninhabited, but would surely make a great apartment building.  I couldn't tell about the other one.

The weather was beautiful today for walking around getting photos,  We stopped in to a great coffee shop for coffees and a snack.  It was a really good day.  

279/365

New Baby, New Portrait

Things were going along pretty well with this family portrait session until the little guy decided to have a melt-down. The big guy was doing a great job holding him in spite

of the wee one losing his patience.

For some reason, I really like this particular image.  

There were other images that might be more appealing, but I like the reality of this one.

I don't know which images the mom will choose, but this is still high on my list of favorites. 

278/365

Clock Tower

This beautiful clock tower is located on the campus of Hardin Simmons University in Abilene, Texas.

It has an arch under it that allows students to walk the path from the sidewalk onto the campus between two buildings.  The tower is red brick with a golden dome.