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Three Amigos

Yesterday I took a ride to Merkel because 1) I needed to go someplace to photograph where I haven't been lately and 2) the weather was so beautiful I needed to get out of my house.

I've been to Merkel before, but I never walked through the main part of the small town.

Yesterday I saw this sculpture of these three Mexicans playing instruments perched on the roof of a Mexican restaurant.  How cute.

So that makes 301 photos...65 photos short of a photo-a-day for the year.

I'm going to try again in 2025.  

There will probably be many more mundane images since I don't even know where to go anymore to find new subjects.  

Anyway...tonight is 

New Year's Eve.

Another year has passed.

I would recap my year, but it's been seriously boring although AMAZINGLY Blessed.  

I'm looking forward to what the Lord has in store for me for the coming year(s).

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Abandoned Bank?

This structure looks like it must have been a bank years ago.  

Merkel is a contradiction.  

The 2020 census has the population listed as 2,471. The town is part of the metropolitan Abilene area and it's approximately 19 miles from Abilene. 

There are a lot of vacant/empty buildings but as I walked around the town this afternoon I saw some revitalized buildings that seem to be part of upgrading the small town.  

 

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Another Abandoned business

This structure looks like it must have been a car dealership once upon a time.  This side wall has this door and a sealed-up overhead door to the right 

and has wall art of this cowboy with a rope.  Off to the left side of the wall is a beautiful mural of vegetables in gorgeous colors.

Even though it has beautiful art work on it, it's stall abandoned and it's a sad sight.

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Another abandoned gas station

This structure is located in the town of Merkel, Texas.  It's been vacant for years.  I guess it's hard to keep a small station going when there are larger chain stations/convenience stores popping up everywhere.  

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Abandoned Barn in Merkel, Texas

Today was another unseasonably warm day~~75 throughout the afternoon, so I decided to take a ride to one of the smaller towns nearby.  I've been there before, but I don't think it was during the Christmas season.  

This barn can be seen from the road leading into the town so I decided to make an image of it.  It's huge and I just can't figure out how it can just be vacant...doesn't someone have to pay taxes on the land?

No income from the barn and paying taxes, someone must have a lot of money.

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Reindeer on a Light Post

The other day during daylight I made an image of this reindeer on a light pole.  No lights were on, and it looked ok but I didn't think I'd get back when it was darker and the lights would be on.

Today is was a balmy 75 degrees so I forced myself to get out and get to town at dusk.  

Many of the light poles near the park were decorated like this and they sure looked pretty.

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Minimalist lighting

While I was in the park trying to decide what images to make, I turned around and saw the building across the street with this single strand of lights across the roof area.  There are no other lights or decorations on the building. I wonder how many people actually look up to see the lights?

As I'm getting older I'm becoming more minimalist, so I really appreciate the simplistic effort of this building decorated for the holiday season.  

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Lighted Snowflake

So...a couple of days ago I posted an image of this snowflake, but it was during daylight and naturally the lights weren't on and you could see the building in the background.   I mentioned that I hardly ever go downtown after dark, but today I was inspired to get outside since it was an unseasonable 75 degrees and sunny.

I waited until it was almost dusk and headed to town with the intention of getting this snowflake with the lights on. I'm glad I did.

There were a lot of families wandering around the park getting photos of their kiddos with the storybook statues and the Christmas decorations.  It was a good day to be out and about.

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Sign on a wall of a Downtown Bookstore

I think I posted an image like this quite a while ago, but I just love the sentiment.  This quote is on one of the outside walls of a downtown bookstore in Abilene, Texas.  

Mary Oliver was a poet who lived from 1935-2019. 

She was a fan of "wonderment".  

What a great quote~~we should all pay attention, be astonished and then tell about it.

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Three Wise Men

One of the downtown churches displays this creche scene every year~~the three wise men greeting baby Jesus.  I think the sculptures are beautiful.  A couple of years ago I got an image of this scene at dusk or later and it was really nice, but I didn't have a tripod so it wasn't as sharp as I wanted it to be.

I made the image today at about 3 pm when it was overcast so I didn't need the tripod.

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Snowflake in Downtown

This snowflake decor is located in one of the downtown parks.  I saw someone else's photo of it taken just after dusk.  The snowflake was lit up against a darker background and it was really pretty.  I don't usually go to town after dark so I decided to grab an image of it today with the historic train station in the background.  Even in the daylight without the lights I think it's pretty.

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Christmas Tree Ornaments

This display of large ornaments is situated outside a childcare center.  Simplicity at its best.

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Painted Wall

One of the alleyways in downtown Abilene is newly painted with abstract wall art.  I'm not a fan of abstract, but the colors are beautiful and there are some curves and designs on other parts of the wall.  This wall art makes the alleyway much more attractive.

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Large Wreath

This wreath is on the same church where the angels are on display.  Just a simple green wreath and red bow.  At night the wreath is decorated with lights.

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Three Angels

There's a church in town that puts up some classy decorations at Christmas time.  I've never seen these angels before,  but that could be because I never walked around the church in daylight.

Anyway, I think they're pretty and I'm glad I got to see them before they are taken down.

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Window and View

The other day my daughter, grandkids and I went to the abandoned Cisco Zoo.  While I was standing in one of the deserted cabins I looked out the window and saw this view.  I thought it was interesting, so I photographed the scene through the window space.

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Books by Craig Johnson

The Longmire Series

While at my daughter's this morning for breakfast and presents, she received a couple more volumes in the series of "Longmire" books from her husband.  

That's one of my favorite series on PRIME, and she's mentioned the books to me before, but I never pursued reading them.  Today I finally asked her if I could borrow a couple to start the series~~these are the first two of the long, long series.  

I hope I like them as much as she does.  

Robert Taylor is the actor who plays Longmire on the TV series.  He's Australian.  One time I heard an interview he did and I couldn't believe the THICK Australian accent he has.  You'd never know it from the show. Maybe I'll have to start the TV series over again.

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Drink Bottles

In 2018 I attended a college reunion and the bookstore was selling these orange drink bottles on sale.

(I was always appalled that the school colors were orange & black but no one asked my opinion, smiley face)

I bought two, I lost the first one about three years later, and I've been using this one for about 3 years.  I carry it with me ALL the time.  I think my daughter was pretty frustrated with how it's looking, so my Christmas gift this year is this new, beautiful, insulated pale green IRONFLASK.

Even though it doesn't look like it, they both hold the same amount of liquid which makes me very happy.

I guess I'll have to retire the orange one, but it still works, so it will probably be relegated to the back of the cabinet as an emergency back-up.

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Quilt

When each of my younger grandchildren have turned 2, I made them a quilt for their single bed.  Each one is a different pattern.  This one was kind of fun.  

It was originally a paper-piecing quilt but because I didn't have the paper, nor the actual pattern, I just eyeballed the pieces and the angles I used to put it together.  

This youngest of my daughter's children won't be 2 until June, but all I have left is to put the binding on it, and I'll probably finish that in the next couple of weeks, depending on my enthusiasm level.

Of course, now my son has a baby boy who will be 2 in June 2026, so I'll shortly need to find a pattern and fabric for that one.  And then there's my granddaughter whose first baby will arrive this coming June.  I'll probably make that quilt early because, you know, two years is a long time for someone who's my age.  I may not be here by then but I want her (she already knows it's a girl) to have a quilt too.  

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Light Pole Decorations

Many of the downtown light poles had this decor on them.  I took this photo near dusk so the light and the deer stood out clearly against the blue sky.

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Fire Station

The doors on this fire state are orange.  I don't think I've ever seen the color orange~~usually fire station doors are red.  Interesting.

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A lighted Gift

This display is in one of the local parks in Abilene, Texas.  I made the image just before dusk.

It was a beautiful weather day~~a high of 72.

I appreciate this winter weather so much even though it will probably get colder before the winter ends.  At least we're not experiencing the snow & cold that's in the northeast right now. 

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Frosty and His Family

I went to town today just before dusk hoping to find some Christmas photo ops and I saw this fun display of Frosty and his family in one of the parks.  Many of the trees were wrapped with colored lights.

Today I retrieved two quilts that were recently finished from the quilter so now I have to put the binding on them.  One is for my granddaughter who will be two this spring and the other is an oversized lap quilt for me.  I'll be happy when they're finished.

 

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Blue Heron????

The other day when the weather was so wonderful I forced myself to go to the local park to see if there were any photo ops.  For the first time ever I saw this bird...I'm not a "birder" so even though I tried to search the internet for the name, the only thing I could come up with is "Great Blue Heron".

I'm not sure that's what this bird is, but it fit the description pretty well.

I tried to get a photo of it in flight, but the images didn't come out as well as I wanted.

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Graffiti on Rock Wall

The abandoned zoo in Sisco, Texas is surprisingly undamaged considering that it closed in 1930. 

There were several animal deaths that were never solved.

There is some graffiti on the rock walls and the foliage is overgrown in many places, but there's about 1.4 miles of walking trails through the zoo grounds and it's open to the public.

It was a beautiful weather day so my daughter and I took the 4 grandkids to the zoo.  They had a great time running around, going into the enclosure caves and learning a little about the abandoned zoo.

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Zoo enclosure fence

At the abandoned zoo in Sisco, Texas, there are still remnants of fences that, once-upon-a-time, provided enclosures for the animals.   

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Religious Graffiti

There's an abandoned zoo in Sisco, Texas.  It was active for about 10 years from 1920-1930.  It closed after a couple of animals died and the cause couldn't be determined.

On the zoo property there are several abandoned cabins that were rented out to visitors during the time the zoo was open.  They're small with one or two bedrooms, a kitchen, bathroom and living room with a fireplace.  

This graffiti wasn't there the last time I visited the site.  

Whoever did the graffiti shouldn't have done it, but it's correct.

   HE IS RISEN!!

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Abandoned Gas Station?

This appears to be an abandoned gas station.  It's obviously been abandoned for a long time~~the inside is one square room filled with all sorts of random items:  a piano, a handicapped commode, crates, clothing, etc.

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Oil Drill

It's not easy to get close enough to an oil drill to get a good photo~~I don't have a long enough lens, but this one was pretty close to the fence and I was thrilled to get this close.

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Oil Silos

Driving north in Texas we came upon these oil silos next to an oil drilling field.  There were no

"No Trespassing" signs so we were able to get close for pictures.

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Three Boys on a Log sculpture

This sculpture is located on the campus of Abilene Christian University.  

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Lighted Poles on ACU campus

These lighted poles are seen on the campus of Abilene Christian University.  It seems there must be some kind of scavenger hunt with the lights since there is a sign to scan a bar code about the lights.

I didn't scan the code, I just wanted to grab a photo or two.

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Downtown Workyard

Another workplace on the edge of downtown Abilene.

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Downtown Silos

On the edge of downtown Abilene there are several silos along the railroad tracks.  I'm not sure what they're for, but they're huge and they're active.

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Country Silo

The weather was incredible again today~~77 degrees.  Got home from church, had lunch, and wanted to get out of the house and take advantage of the great weather. I decided to go to the local zoo. They always have the nicest holiday decorations, but alas, they weren't going to open until 4pm for a special Christmas event. So I drove down some country road I've never been on before.  

I don't know why I like these structures so much, but I do and I can't resist making images of them.

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Steps and Shadows

This flight of steps leads to an upper level brewery in downtown Abilene.

I was intrigued by the shadows on the steps.

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Downtown Mural

Another beautiful day weather-wise.  I've seen and photographed this mural several times, but it's so beautiful I couldn't resist getting another image of it.

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A Barn

I saw this colorful red and green barn as I was driving around today.

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Country Home

The weather was pretty nice today and I was tired of just sitting in the house, so I finally forced myself to go out for a ride, hoping against hope that I'd see something to photograph.

I thought this was such a pretty scene.  I always wonder what people do to earn enough money to live in homes like these????

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Gas Price

I got gas from Sam's Club yesterday.  This is what I paid.  

This is what the price should have been for the past 4 years.  It's about time!

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Ornaments on a Tree

There's a museum in downtown Abilene that sells family memberships.  I went in there today to get a membership for my daughter's family and while I was waiting I noticed this extremely decorated tree and I had to take a photo of it, even though all I had with me was my cell phone.

The nutcrackers and the dolls are beautiful. 

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Santa Statue

On one of the corners in downtown Abilene there's a small park and right now there's a statue of Santa with his sleigh.  

I'm not sure if Santa will be in the sleigh for photos during the holiday season, or if the sleigh is for people to take their own photos. Whatever, it's a great holiday decoration in downtown.

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Decorated Coffee Cups

While waiting an inordinately long time to place my coffee order at the coffee shop today, I decided to make another image of these decorated cups on the other side of the counter.  I asked the barista who decorated them and she said that various customers did them over a number of years.  

What a great way to decorate one of the walls in the shop.

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Christmas Tree Topper

While I was waiting for my coffee in my favorite coffee shop, I noticed this tree topper.  I only had my cell phone with me, but I think the image came out pretty nice  

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SORRY

I used to play games with my kiddos when they were young.  Cards, board games and puzzles.  SORRY was and is one of my favorites.  The other day I was playing SORRY with my 6.5 year old grandson.  

He's the firstborn of the family and like most firstborn children he's very particular, wants/needs to do everything perfect as far as he's concerned and he has trouble losing.  

So this is a good game to teach losing/winning/losing.  The game can turn on a dime (actually, at the pick of a card) and I'm trying to encourage him that it's ok to lose.  It's a difficult lesson.  

I was just like him when I was young and I remember how long it took for me to get the point of almost winning/almost losing, winning and losing but enjoying the journey through the game.

It's tough being the first born.

Birth order is weird.

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Anson City Hall

This beautiful structure is the Anson City Hall and it sits right in the middle of the Main Street.  Anson was once called Jones City but in 1882 the name was changed to Anson in honor of Anson Jones who was the last president of the Republic of Texas.

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Palace Theater in Anson

It was another beautiful fall day, a little cool but not too bad, with a gorgeous blue sky.

I took a ride to Anson~~I've been there before, but I needed to get out of the house and there's a stunning City Hall right in the middle of Main Street that seemed to be calling my name today.

This theater is kitty-corner from the City Hall.  I don't know if it's used for anything any more, I always seem to go to Anson on a Sunday afternoon. Almost everything is closed so there's no telling if it gets used for anything. The theater must have been glorious in its day.