out of place...

This is a house from Childress that was in the neighborhood where I grew up.  It was right across the street from a city lake where I spent many of my days. It is one of the more unique houses in the town/neighborhood. As much as it belongs in the landscape of West Texas, it is totally out of place where it is built. I think that is why I like it so much. As an added bonus, there is an Airstream in the yard...

beautiful decay...

A house in my hometown that is in a definite state of decay. It is such a treat, when I am visiting, to get to drive around and capture memories of the past. I grew up riding my bike on the same streets of this town not knowing that I would someday come to appreciate the stillness and state of the neighborhoods that I once lived...

red river views...

A few more images from our trip out to the Red River...

snow caps...

A view out of our hotel window while we were visiting family in Childress, TX over the holidays. It was a cold dreary day, but the closest thing that we had to snow caps in the flat plains of Texas...

ready to shoot...

Tyler and I got a chance to get out an explore a new area of Childress this year.  We try and get at least one afternoon to photograph the town and the surrounding area. This year we headed out North of Childress on highway 83 to the Red River. I took several images that I will post over the next few weeks, but this one was a favorite from the day. Probably didn't have to travel all the way out to the Red River to get this one, but that's where it happened...

this light...

During our annual Christmas visit to Childress, we stayed at a local hotel. Pyper and I were going up to the room and out of the corner of my eye I saw this light. Fortunately, I had my SX70 with me and Pyper was good with having her picture taken. The SX70 doesn't always do good with extreme light and extreme shadows, but I definitely like the outcome of this one. Definitely one of my favorites in a long time...

stratton...

Here are two images of my nephew Stratton taken when we went to Childress over the holidays. The first one was damaged when I peeled the image. I was able to clean the flakes from the photo in Aperture to save the image. Wasn't for sure how the first one was going to turn out so I took the second one when it was almost dark outside. I believe the exposure of the second one was 1 second at f/8.0. In the end, both images are keepers to me. Overall, my goal is to have 8x10s of as much of my family as possible by the end of 2014. Looks like there are lots of trips with my 8x10 in the future...

tommy...

Was able to take a couple more family photos over the past weekend while visiting in Childress, TX. Tommy just happened to still have his "santa" beard so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to capture it on an 8x10 Impossible print before it was gone...

enjoyed...

An old sign in front of a store that I used to go to when I was growing up in Childress, TX. All that is left is the sign and an empty building...

nternational...

Got my composition just slightly off. Now it is an nternational. The "I" is missing and silent...

a milestone for Stratton...

Went to Childress, Tx over the weekend to celebrate another milestone in our family. Stratton (top & middle photo) was graduating high school. I got a big shot photo of him and one of him with mom and dad right before he was leaving for the ceremony. Sawyer didn't make the photo so I grabbed one of him on Sunday before we left...

change...

One thing I love about going to Childress is driving out to the country (in the middle of nowhere), stopping the car, getting out and just walking around. Many times the only noise is the wind. What a relief this is! Makes it so easy to look around and think about what you see. Really think about what you see. No hurry, just time to think...

Notice the beaten down path disappearing into the distance leading up the right side of the picture. The sign in front of us clearly tells us to turn left or right. The road that the arrows are pointing to are paved. They were built so that the drive would be smoother. But regardless of how rough the path that we are on may be, we always want to keep going in the same direction. Some may say that it is the path of least resistance.  Mainly because change requires us to make a conscious decision to turn; it requires an action on our part. We subject ourselves to the unnecesary bumps ahead in our life because of a natural resistance to change. Why do we resist the signs of change in our life so much? Could be that we are so busy with our life that we completely miss the signs? We are travelling so fast and so focused on what is in front of us; the pursuit of more (more money, more power, more stuff, just more...), that we completely miss the obvious change in direction that is needed.

My challenge to myself (and you if you are reading this) is to get away to a place where all you can hear is the wind. Slow down. Maybe even stop and get out. Look around. Evaluate. Pay attention to the obvious signs. Don't be resistant to changing direction. Consider the consequences of ignoring the signs. Move slower. Most of all, enjoy what is around you.

All of this from a picture taken for no apparent reason, with an old analog camera, on expired film by an aging guy in the middle of nowhere...

ping pong...

Every year when we go back to Childress America, a new competition surfaces (last year's competition is here and the year before is here). This year ping pong was the game of choice.  As always, Sawyer and Stratton were ready and willing to pose for an instant shot between games...

Pyper...

a picture of Pyper on Thanksgiving day...

silver shade trees...

Two tree photos taken during my stay in Childress America over Thanksgiving.

sunlight behind the leaves...

off the paved path...

a flash from the past...

I have been looking for this instant photo for quite a while.  Took some time tonight to look through some old family albums to see if I could find it.  Amazing the moments that we remember from our childhood.  For some reason, this day and this photo have been stuck in my memory.  Maybe it was the hair or even the abs of steel that I was trying to show off and get captured on film (so that I could show it off more than 30 yrs later)...

on the way to Childress...

Taken a couple of weeks ago during one of the stops on our way to Childress. Sadi and Jace were with me (Maci, Pyper and Sherri were ahead of us and didn't stop). We have memories of stopping at this Dairy Queen on our way to see family for the past 20+ years. Maci was one year old when we made the first trip. Amazing how the smallest details in our life become fond memories. Makes me happy to know that 20+ years later I get to capture these memories on a type of film from the past...

the bottle is fading...

the skull and a wheel...

the palace theater...

finally got a chance to take an instant photo of the historic palace theater in my hometown. the theater has been recently part of a restoration project. my memories of this place date back to the early 80s going to visit my future wife while she worked the concession stand. how time flies...