Last time P. and I were in Kingsville, Texas,
he drove me out to the shuttered downtown
of Bishop. Some years back, when a new highway
was built a few miles away, the entire downtown
packed-up and moved on down the road.
These photos were taken on a weekday in May,
about noon, temperature close to 98 degrees: blazing.
Wonderful Photos!!! Just marvelous!
ReplyDeleteSouth Texas: There's no place like it.
ReplyDeleteA stunning series of photographs, T. Clear.
ReplyDelete(We point our cameras at similar things!)
There's something about once-lived-in, now-abandoned spaces; the way their surfaces speak; the evidence of what once was, and the allusions to what might yet have been. Memories take up residence on empty couches, dusty windowsills, still swinging doors. You can almost hear footsteps in these unpeopled streets, a man clearing his throat... or see a tired child pulling on her mother's skirt.
Claire, I can hear that throat-clearing!
ReplyDeleteT., Thanks for these beautiful pictures. The 3rd one is especially appealing to me. sp, n.o.
ReplyDeleteFabulous shots, T. I'm basking in the heat of your photos. It's a balmy 18 degrees out here in Ohio.
ReplyDeleteGreat photos T. When I make it home to Kingsville these days (which isn't all that often), I'm struck by how run down so many neighborhoods are - even the occupied ones. I'm sure Paul took you to "downtown" Kingsville - plenty of emptiness there too!
ReplyDeleteHope to see you guys next weekend.
Joe
Sussah, Willow: nice of you to stop by!
ReplyDeleteJoe -- hope to see you next weekend too! And yes, downtown is very sad. When we were there last, I needed something at a store when we rolled in, at midnight. We tried every single stop-n-rob, determined to avoid the evil Wal-Mart, but, alas, in the end we were forced to give in.
Downtown Kingsville is a poster child for what happens when Wal-Mart sinks its hooks into a small town. The King Ranch Store and Harrell's Drugs are pretty much the only viable businesses left. Somehow, Roy's Camera Shop holds on, too. But we used to spend hours hanging out there, wandering from store to store. Now, most of them are boarded up.
ReplyDeleteJoe, do you remember that when we moved to Kingsville, there were still hitching posts downtown?
love the photos, T.!
ReplyDelete[WC Fields voice] Tasty fragments of ruination, T.! Think I need to put a pointer to these on Eff-Stop Local.
ReplyDeleteOMG! How did my reader miss this? i'm so glad i wandered over to see for myself. these are wonderful!
ReplyDelete