Past & Present, W.Falls-Houston

Watching the rodeo, Wichita Falls, late 70s.

Two of my former roommates, lounging in what's left of their house after the 1979 tornado in Wichita Falls. I moved out of the house about a month before the twister.

Possum Kingdom Lake, North Texas, late 1970s. He survived.

Bluegrass festival, Oklahoma, late 1970s.

Fiddle player, bluegrass festival, Oklahoma, late 1970s.

The solar-powered Lake Jackson sign @ 65 mph.

Main Street, near Rice University, Houston.

Public Service Announcement, median of Highway 288, Houston. An electronic sign nearby states: "DWI Kills."

The statue of Dick Dowling, Hermann Park, Houston.

Half-Price Books in The Village, Houston.

This is a Kugel Ball.

Kugel Ball explainer, located outside the Museum of Natural Science, Houston.

Sam Houston, aka "The Raven."

No.

The Children's Museum, Houston.

A skater on the Galveston Seawall, early 1980s.

The Water Wall, with downtown Houston in the background.

Ride on, easy rider. Loop 610 South, Houston.

Hubcaps at Rollo's Racing on Richmond, in Houston.

Skateboarder & seagulls, Galveston, Tx., early 1980s.

Cowboy at the rodeo, Wichita Falls, Tx., late 1970s.

Post-tornado landscape, Wichita Falls, Tx., 1979.

Rodeo, Wichita Falls, Tx., late 1970s.

Horse excrement at Dickens On The Strand festival, Galveston, Tx., early 1980s.

Klan rally, Santa Fe, Tx., early 1980s, during the troubled times between Vietnamese and Anglo shrimpers.

Goose Creek oil field, Baytown, Tx., late 1970s. Most of these derricks are gone now.

Skateboarders on the seawall in Galveston, circa early '80s.

From the archives

In 1979, a tornado killed 45 people in and around Wichita Falls, Tx. This sign was stuck in the ruins of one home. I was working for The Wichita Falls newspaper at the time. I found this old print of mine in a box and made a digital copy shot to post on the photoblog. More archive copy shots to be posted in the future.

Kinky Friedman in Houston

Kinky apparel was selling briskly at Murder By The Book on Friday evening. Kinky apparel is becoming more and more popular, not only in Texas but also on the East and West coasts of North America. Caps that say "Get Kinky" also are sold.

People waited for well over an hour to have Kinky sign their books. Everyone waited patiently and quietly. There were no "incidents," police said.

Across the street from the bookstore, this banner was hung along the parking lot fence of The Volcano drinking establishment.

Kinky bumper stickers, Kinky posters. It's all part of the campaign strategery.

With his non-signing hand, Kinky took a moment to demonstrate one of his fabled JewJitsu moves, which is so cat-like quick that modern-age digital camera equipment cannot capture it adequately.

Kinky closes the deal with a handshake.

Education, Lake Jackson-style

If there's any doubt that Brazosport Independent School District is among the "rich" school districts in the State of Texas, behold the new Lake Jackson Intermediate School, located on Oyster Creek Drive in Lake Jackson. No stucco building for this high-flyin' book-learnin' outfit. This place looks like the Supreme Court building of some Middle East sheikdom. Weeeee-doggggies!!!

Check out these colonnades. When you build an intermediate school with all the architectural features that this new one has (including a skylight and clock tower!), you know somebody somewhere decided they had to impress somebody. Holy cow! This place looks like a Neiman Marcus! If this places doesn't make Public School Architectural Digest, I'm canceling my subscription.

When there's an exclamation point at the end of a no trespassing sign, it's understood among Brazosport residents that violators may be shot on sight, depending on what phase the moon is in. Yeah, we're talking to YOU. STAY OUT!

Demolition of the old Lake Jackson Intermediate School began in earnest this week while the finishing touches are being put on the new school, located right next door where two Little League fields once stood. I wonder if the kids are gonna learn more stuff at a faster rate in the new facility. If they don't, well, I'm gonna be very, very irritated.

Photoblogging "Casablanca" (1942)

"What's your nationality?" "I'm a drunkard."

"I remember every detail. The Germans wore gray. You wore blue."

"Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine."

"I blow with the wind, and the prevailing wind happens to blow from Vichy."

"Have you tried 22 tonight?"

"I wouldn't bring up Paris. It's poor salesmanship."

"Go ahead and shoot. You'll be doing me a favor."

"I don't know what's right any longer. You'll have to think for both of us, for all us us." "Alright."

"Here's looking at you, kid."

"Ricky, I'm going to miss you. You're the only person in Casablanca with even less scruples than I."

"Remember, this gun is pointed right at your heart." "That's my least vulnerable spot."

"What about us?"