Exquisitely Bored in Nacogdoches

Wayside Motel

2011-11-13T19:32:00.001-06:00

New book

2011-11-07T04:04:00.003-06:00

These photographs were taken using either a Canon EOS 20D or 30D between September 2005 and August 2011. This book represents miles and miles of driving, hours spent researching, and occasional dreaming of these old (and new) structures. In some cases, these theaters were the main reason for roadtrips taking perhaps nine hours (one way) of driving. Many of these interested me only because of their neon signage. Some have been demolished in the time since I photographed them, while others have been miraculously reborn through renovation. Either way, they are now frozen in time, appearing just as I found them, the day I photographed each.

A random street in Baird

2011-10-08T19:37:00.005-05:00

I went through Baird, Texas, primarily because the tiny town was the county seat, and, therefore, has a county courthouse. The 1929, Classical Revival building wasn't all that unique, but the sky was a deep blue, and the clouds were white and billowy. So I think the pictures came out really well, despite the plainness of the courthouse.

But on a complete whim, I took a slight deviation from my planned route and made a sudden, left-hand turn onto what turned out to be Baird's main street. I was rewarded handsomely almost immediately with this stunning, repainted Bull Durham ad. These are usually "ghosts" when I find them.

The repainted Coca-Cola sign must be from 1923-1925, as variations of the "Refresh Yourself" slogan were being used during those years.

A ghostly Dr. Pepper sign.

At the end of the street was the reason for all of the ads, the 1911 circa Texas Pacific Railroad Depot.

Cisco, Texas, was a friend of mine

2011-09-11T18:07:00.000-05:00

Remnants of Fina Service Station
According to the Texas Historical Commission survey, it had "weeds, no gas" in August of 1980. I took this picture for the sign, and I now think the building pictured is what remains of the actual station (compare location of door to that of the one in the picture at the link), itself, although radically altered.

Sears Catalogue House c. 1910, Catalog Victorian

Gus Ward House c. 1890s, Victorian

The dense foliage mentioned in the 1980s survey remains (much to my chagrin).

Boyle House c. 1899, Gothic Revival

Texaco Service Station c. 1940, Modern

First Hilton Hotel (Old Mobley Hotel) c. 1916, Frontier Georgian

The "Relieves Fatigue" slogan was used in 1907-1908

"Here's That Rainy Day"

2011-08-27T19:20:00.002-05:00

A little slice of musical heaven courtesy of Wes Montgomery. From his 1965 Bumpin' album, "Here's That Rainy Day":

And a cool live version:

Big Spring (or is it "Big Sprang"?)*

2011-08-20T17:01:00.001-05:00

*I prefer the twangy version.

This is a ghost sign on the back of the Ritz Theatre in Big Spring. It says: "West Texas' Finest Theatre."

Ritz Theatre c. pre-1941. Beaux Arts

State Theater ca. 1942, Streamline Moderne

Alberto's Crystal Cafe neon sign

Howard County Courthouse c. 1953, Art Deco

Hotel Settles c. 1930

This site has some great, historical photographs.

"I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me"

2011-08-15T20:35:00.008-05:00

Tom Neal and Ann Savage
First appearing during a 1925 Broadway show, the Jimmy McHugh song "I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me" was featured prominently in the 1945 film noir classic Detour. Being such an integral part of the plot and soundtrack, I thought perhaps it had been introduced in the film. I was wrong.

source
As the dramatic and eye-catching movie poster tells us, the protagonist, played by Tom Neal, searched for love in all the wrong places. Looked for love in too many faces. Etc. A series of fateful hitchhiking encounters while on his way to find his gal (and former girl singer in his dance hall band) led him straight into a typical noir sh*tstorm, or detour from his plans, if you will. "I Can't Believe You're in Love with Me" serves as an aural reminder to the main character (and movie viewer) of the love lost.

Everyone from Billie Holiday to Count Basie (with Joe Williams) covered the tune. But as is generally the case with these lost chestnuts, I tend to favor the version done by Frank Sinatra. Probably because I usually hear these for the first time via The Voice. This is from his exquisite, 1961 Sinatra's Swingin' Session!!! (and more....more?) album - the one on which he required arranger/conductor Nelson Riddle to take the songs they'd rehearsed for it and speed 'em up(!!!):

Stuff I took pictures of in Eastland

2011-08-13T21:07:00.001-05:00

Former Eastland Bank Building

Eastland County Courthouse c. 1928, Moderne

Connellee-Majestic Theatre c. 1920, Art Moderne

Louise's Cafe

Eastland Laundry & Dry Cleaning

"P.S. I Love You" (Mad Men moment #4)

2011-08-09T18:52:00.003-05:00

I far prefer Frank Sinatra's version of the Gordon Jenkins (notes)/Johnny Mercer (words) classic, as recorded for his relatively obscure (but great) Close to You album. But Bobby Vinton did a really heart-felt, plaintive take on it.

Like most people my age or younger, not really being a Bobby Vinton fan, I first heard his interpretation during the third episode of the first season of Mad Men. And as is usually the case, it was used as the emotional capper at the very end of the show. Boy, Matthew Weiner has fantastic taste in music! I mean, I assume he is the one who makes the decision about which songs to use in each episode. I'm always trying to figure out the hidden meaning behind his selections: "What was he trying to say with this one?" Interesting that Vinton recorded this in 1967, although the episode is set in 1962:

"A Short History of America"

2011-08-08T20:05:00.002-05:00

I just re-watched the documentary Crumb about artist Robert Crumb for the first time in about seventeen years. It has this great segment depicting his brilliant "A Short History of America" panels:

Real sugar in Sweetwater

2011-08-08T19:15:00.003-05:00

I was going to make a diabetes joke, but opted for a milder post title...

Texas Theater c. 1935, Streamline Moderne - still open

Midway Drive-In (no longer open)

Due to the intense heat (at least 100°), I opted to drive around to check out the screen. Good thing too, because there was a guard dog, chained up and ferociously barking. I felt sorry for him, being out there all alone in the dusty heat.

Abilene, Abilene - prettiest town I've ever seen

2011-08-04T13:21:00.004-05:00

Today's history lesson, chitlins, is about Abilene, Texas. Now, first I must admit that every single time I saw the word Abilene, whether it was on a city limits sign or anywhere else, I was ~~compelled~~ forced to loudly belt out George Hamilton IV's 1963 single "Abilene" with a desperate, whimpering cry in my voice. After having been there, I could see why someone would write a song about Abilene, Abilene....

As I pulled in to town:

Third Taylor County Courthouse c. 1914, Classical Revival
It's so dry and hot here in Texas that as I was walking around on the grass taking pictures of the courthouse, it was crunchy and crackly. A strange sensation.

Durham Tobacco Sign
This early ad downtown was first repainted in 1975. It's obviously been repainted since then.

Abilene Courts c. 1930

Federal Building c. 1935-36, Art Deco

Windsor Building c. 1890

Hotel Wooten c. 1930, Art Deco
This was the tallest building between Fort Worth and El Paso back when it was first constructed.

Some pictures in the hotel's windows:

And a slightly different view (I really liked this building):

McKay's Bakery - in business since 1966

One of these things is not like the others...

Paramount Theatre c. 1929, Mission Revival/Spanish Moorish

Upon leaving town, an unexpected surprise:

"There's a Small Hotel"

2011-07-27T18:36:00.003-05:00

from the "There's a Small Hotel" sequence of Pal Joey

"There's a Small Hotel" is a 1936 popular song composed by Richard Rodgers, with lyrics by Lorenz Hart originally written for but dropped from the musical Billy Rose's Jumbo (1935), then used in On Your Toes (1936), where it was introduced by Ray Bolger and Doris Carson and also interpolated in the film version of Pal Joey (1957) with a fine Frank Sinatra-Nelson Riddle collaboration.

The Stockton Inn

According to Lorenz Hart's biography, Lorenz Hart - A Poet on Broadway, the song was inspired by a visit by Richard Rodgers to the Stockton Inn, in Stockton, NJ. Hart reputedly found the melody insistently cloying and often ad libbed raunchy parody verses much to Rodgers' chagrin.

The Montecito Inn

Another claimant to be the inspiration is the Montecito Inn, in Santa Barbara, California. Renovations to the hotel in the 1950's replaced the wishing well, mentioned in the song, by a floral fountain.

(source)

I'd say the Stockton Inn story is more plausible. Anyway, there's something so elegant about the aesthetics of the time, clothing, music, etc. in this. 'Tis a shame it's all gone:

Queen Victoria

2011-07-22T20:50:00.002-05:00

John J. Welder Home carriage stone and gate post

a former Texaco

Burrough-Daniel House c. 1892, Victorian

John H. Clegg House c. 1900, Victorian

another Victorian (I couldn't identify)

a faded ad facing railroad tracks through town

Jordan-Koch House c. 1885, Victorian

Gramann House c. 1885, Italianate (Victorian)

Old Victoria Courthouse c. 1892, Romanesque Revival

Mitchell House(?)
I think this may have been moved from its original location, but I could be wrong about that. No house is listed at the Texas Historical Commission Atlas at this address. There is also no record of a "Mitchell House" (that I've been able to find).

Fossati Delicatessen c. 1895 (this structure at this location); one of the oldest commercial structures in Victoria

Mrs. J.V. Murphy House c. 1900, Victorian

Victoria Theatre

Webert-Schuchert c. 1898, Victorian

Sigmund House c. 1902, Victorian

Check this out:

(from fellow traveler Debra Jane Seltzer)

Mad Men moment #3

2011-07-21T20:16:00.005-05:00

In the fifth episode of the third season of Mad Men, "The Fog," Betty Draper gives birth to the Draper's third child. She is also dealing with the death of her father, which occurred in the previous episode. While in the hospital, Betty has a drug-induced delivery room hallucination, in which, among other things, she converses with her deceased parent.

While Betty is in this hallucinatory state, the song "Me Voy a Morir de Amor" (roughly, "I'm going to die of love") by Alberto Iglesias is played. It's extremely beautiful and perfect for her "dream states":

Grand Dame Edna

2011-07-14T10:14:00.001-05:00

Right on Main Street in Edna, Texas, the 1950 Edna Theatre:

From this site:

"The Edna Theatre, built in 1950, sat vacant since 1978. In 2008 – thirty years after it closed – the marquee and tower were re-lit and now shine brightly in downtown Edna, Texas. Now for the next step – full restoration!

Restoration of the theatre will provide: A 1,000 seat venue for local and regional events, A cinema once more where movie goers can enjoy classic movies on an occasional movie night, A place where the community can come together for entertainment, cultural events & community activities, A place where future generations can experience a glimpse of the past."

The re-lighting ceremony, held in June 2008 (the camera stabilizes after about 20 seconds in):

5 Least Favorite Beatle Songs

2011-07-12T19:13:00.007-05:00

I just recently purchased a new copy of Nicholas Schaffner's excellent, out-of-print, The Beatles Forever. Back in 1981 when I first came across it, the book was (for all practical purposes) my introduction to The Beatles. I read every word and studied every one of the hundreds of photos included, several times. Looking at it today brings back a lot of memories. And because it came out in 1978, the book ends on a positive note.

Included within the index are several great lists, such as "The Beatles' Grammy Awards" (eleven; including four for Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band), "The Beatles' Number Ones," and "The Beatles' Top Sellers." Under the section "The Fans' Choice," Schaffner wrote:

"In 1971, Howard Smith of WPLJ and The Village Voice asked people to name their least favorite Beatle song"

I actually like a couple of the songs on the list quite a bit ("Mr. Moonlight" and "Helter Skelter"). I also wonder what the people surveyed in '71 would have thought of things such as "If You've Got Trouble" or "What's the New Mary Jane," songs which were released with The Beatles Anthology DVDs back in 1995. Anyway, the list:

5. "Do You Want to Know a Secret"

4. "Helter Skelter"

3. "You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)"

2. "Mr. Moonlight"

1. "Revolution 9"

Interesting list, especially when you consider it was compiled just within a mere year or so after The Beatles broke up.

King Cole Trio's "Route 66"

2011-07-08T00:04:00.003-05:00

To commemorate a year since my Route 66 road trip of a year ago (and ponder the possibility of a return to uncharted portions), Nat "King" Cole (and Trio) would like to play their version of Bobby Troup's musical tribute to the Mother Road. This is from around 1946:

I sort of gorged myself on Cuero...

2011-07-07T21:37:00.000-05:00

...and for that, I must apologize, because there's a whole lot of great stuff(!) I got for the hour and a half or so I was there. If you are one of those EBiN readers who thinks "meh" or "wtf?" whenever you see the latest post is one of those 100-year-old-houses-ghost-signs-and-vintage-neon-signs-kind-of-posts, you may want to move along. Sorry, there's nothing to see here this go around. The rest of you should prepare to receive a face full of Cuero.

Upon arriving, a pleasant surprise:

A former Sinclair station:

On the back of the J. Stratton Building, a Coca-Cola ghost sign:

J. Stratton Building c. 1894, Victorian:

Another neon surprise, this one downtown:

A 7UP ghost, probably from the lithium days:

De Witt County Courthouse c. 1896, Richardsonian Romanesque:

former Purina Chows downtown:

Cuero had more old homes than I could photograph on a trip, but I made a dent.

T.O. Buchel House c. 1900, Victorian

305 East Prairie Street c. 1898

Bell-Long Residence c. 1890s, Victorian/Symmetrical

Wofford-Finney House c. 1891, Queen Anne (Victorian)

309 East Sarah Street c. 1885 (a mere 20 years after the Civil War)

Callaway-Gillette House c. 1895, Victorian

Elisha Stevens House c. 1896, Victorian (probably Queen Anne)

Gohmert-Summers House c. 1895, Victorian

Burns-Windel Residence (my fave on this trip) c. 1902, Queen Anne

next favorite, Proctor-Green House c. 1910, Victorian
Those stone steps would have helped ladies in Late Victorian garb climb down from a horse-drawn buggy or Model T. This place would have been quite something in its prime. Description from the THC Atlas entry: "2 1/2 story; elaborate Victorian; stain glass in rounded stairway; shingling; projecting bay; palladian windows; Green was district judge."

Edward Mugge-Sehroeder House c. 1875, Victorian

William Frobese House c. 1865(!), Victorian/Greek Revival

J.M. Reuss House c. 1880

Starker House c. 1880, Victorian

Emil Leonardt House c. 1895, Victorian

Albert and Kate Leinhardt House c. 1895

Playing The Little Sparrow

2011-07-05T12:02:00.011-05:00

Forget about Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash or Kurt Russell as Elvis. Never you mind Sissy Spaceck as Loretta Lynn or even Diana Ross as Billie Holiday. Disregard Val Kilmer's complete and utter embodiment of Jim Morrison. Stand there, pointing, laughing hysterically at George Hamilton as Hank Williams. No no, put all which has come before well out of your head, for there is a new master of the art of portraying on film a person who has actually at some point existed. And that person's name is ~~Master~~ ~~Mistress~~ Marion Cotillard.

Now, I'm no fan of Édith Piaf. Nor do I have a problem with her or her particular style of singing or genre of music. She has just never been my particular cup of tea. But I am old/wise enough to know that personal tastes can change over time, so you never know. If you'd told me twenty years ago I'd love Frank Sinatra, I'd probably have punched you in the mouth, kicked you repeatedly DeNiro style after you'd fallen over, stolen the cash from your wallet, and then left you for dead in the middle of da g.d., mutha f-in' street. No, not really. But I'd have laughed at you at the very least.

On a complete whim, and despite the film being all in French with English subtitles, I Netflixed La Vie en rose, which was released waaay back in 2007. I'd read a really good review of it as well as needed something else to put in my queue other than Mad Men season DVDs. I was pleasantly surprised by the movie but was most impressed by French actress Marion Cotillard. Wow! A lot of what happens on the screen can be attributed to the make-up artists who worked on her and aged her to match the appearance of the icon over the course of her tragedy-filled life, but nonetheless, she is Édith Piaf. Pretty amazing really. I would compare it to my experience of seeing The Buddy Holly Story back in 1978-79 before really knowing what Buddy Holly looked like or who Gary Busey was. If you can deal with subtitles, it's well worth checking out, if for any other reason, Cotillard's impressive performance. I see she's in Midnight in Paris, so, yay(!), another reason I can't wait to see that one. I also see she will be in the new Batman movie. Good on her.

Here's a little taste (first one's free) of her performance via the film's trailer:

The real deal (Holyfield), albeit lip-synced (and colorized?). Still:

And why not, translation by Satchmo:

"Seems Like Old Times"

2011-07-02T18:25:00.005-05:00

As I am driving around the beautifully, authentically reproduced Los Angeles circa 1947 of L.A. Noire, my current favorite tune to come on the radio is Vaughn Monroe and Orchestra's "Seems Like Old Times." It's swingin', yet melancholy (and slightly ominous), and fits perfectly with the overall tone and story of the game:

Shrine de Gardner

2011-06-28T18:40:00.004-05:00

Much thanks to Ed for doing a very cool thing by directing me to his local paper's write-up on the Ava Gardner Museum, located in Smithfield, North Carolina (the starlet's hometown).

According to the article, the museum "features paintings, posters and costumes from some of the nearly 50 movies she appeared in, along with displays that take visitors from her birth in 1922 to her death in 1990."

We also learn from the article that Ava was "petite." That's not what I imagined at all. I've always pictured her towering slightly above Sinatra, for example. According to a museum docent, she had an 18-inch waist and wore a size zero dress by today's standards. She was 5 feet, 6-1/2 inches, and she wore a size 6 shoe.

Credit: TAKAAKI IWABU - tiwabu@newsobserver.com

There's a nice gallery of pics the News Observer's photographer took at the museum.

"Two of the Lucky Ones"

2011-06-26T12:58:00.009-05:00

Played primarily during the end credits of Zombieland, I thought this might be some mid-70s rock/country music or Eric Clapton I hadn't yet heard or something. I was wrong. It's The Droge & Summers Blend. Duh.

The Droge & Summers Blend

A ton of fun in Houston

2011-06-22T21:28:00.014-05:00

The main carrot on the stick for me on this time traveling expedition primarily deep, deep into the farthest reaches of southern Houston was the neon sign pictured above. In a really good way, it was my Kurtz, if you will. Will you? I really couldn't tell whether or not the charming little motel was still open, but it looked like it was in good shape and possibly motor court style lodging at one time or another. Maybe now!

The journey into Houston's recent and distant history began at the 1893-94 Oriental Textile Mill, which is located in the Heights. For those of you playing along at home, the first occupant was A.R. Morey and Company, producing mattresses.

The 1905 Arthur B. Cohn House is pretty unique. According to the Texas Historical Commission atlas narrative, the house was constructed "on or near the site of an earlier house built in the late 1860s." When the THC narrative was written (early 1980s, I think), the Cohn House was being bullied by "a three-story, solid brick, commercial structure," which can be seen in the early '80s pic used with the assessment. That brick structure is gone, yet this place remains. Downtown Houston sprung up nearby, yet this place remains. Minute Maid Park, Discovery Green, Toyota Center and the George R. Brown Convention Center have all come up nearby, yet this place remains......

Next to the Cohn House is another survivor, the William L. Foley House (1904). The skyscraper in the background is the 1927 Petroleum Building, but more about it in a second.

The William L. Foley (his nephews started the Foley's department store) family built this Classical Revival home in 1904 and lived in it until 1963. The house had to be moved in 1909 when the railroad purchased the Foley's land at 1617 West Avenue. The new address was one block away. It was moved a third time in 2002 to its current spot, next to the Arthur B. Cohn House.

Another couple of the Arthur B. Cohn House (with the city looming behind):

Petroleum Building c. 1927, Art Deco

The Beaconsfield Apartments c. 1911, Abstract Neoclassical

It would be very easy to overlook this little gas station. It's a Crown Oil Company service station from 1957. It's practically Googie.

Glenview Apartments c. 1955

It was immaculate - sort of like a Brady Bunch set.

This cool little pharmacy has been around since 1950

And last, but not least, the carrot in hand:

Rogue Wave does "Everyday"

2011-06-20T11:12:00.007-05:00

I really like this re-working, re-imagining of Buddy Holly's song "Everyday." Talk about a cover version. It's practically a different song, but yet not. A bit jarring at first to fans of the original, Rogue Wave's redesign is pretty flippin' cool. I bet even ol' Buddy Holly himself would approve. It's on the soundtrack to a 2005 videogame I've never heard of, and I consider myself something of a videogame nerdingerster.

Speedy return to Gonzales (ahreeeba areeeba underle)

2011-06-18T09:23:00.004-05:00

Art thou familiar....st with the "Come and Take It" battle flag? This occurred in Gonzales.

So, I went and took. And I didn't even need no stinkin' badgees. No, seriously.

G.W. Burgess/ Bell House, c. 1890, Eastlake (Victorian)

a Humble Oil station, 1930s I figure (most like this one are)

Edward Lewis House, c. 1910, Queen Anne (Victorian)

T.H. Spooner House, c. 1874, Queen Anne (Victorian)

The Lynn Theatre, 1940s

Dunn Houston House, c. 1895-98, Queen Anne (Victorian)

the corner of St. Paul and St. Lawrence....

a former Texaco

Burning is tumbling

2011-06-16T07:34:00.007-05:00

Well, looks like my Burning House picture was passed around at tumblr. Much obliged to whoever started it and those who re-tumbled.

This is a picture I consider to be an "old" one. I took it early on when my photography passion began (really restarted; my father was/is an avid photographer, a hobby I picked up from him when I was younger). Hmm. I'm thinking right at this moment that I'm not so much obsessed with the actual process or technology related to the raw act of photography, as I am enraptured by physical remnants of the early 20th century, and capturing those rare things (neon signs, Art Deco structures, Victorian architecture, etc.) photographically. I'm not really a camera techy, and I know barely enough about f/stops and/or aperture to bust myself out of a paper sack. But I digress.......

The Burning House pic was taken five years ago using a dinky little HP PhotoSmart camera. I use a comparatively better, Canon EOS 30D today. Adding to what I now consider to be an ugly photo is the over-treatment I applied to it using the photofinishing software Picasa (I think). Yuck. You can see from the picture above, which has not been "treated" with the Picasa program, what the PhotoSmart was capable of without. I guess the tumbler folks think its "trippy" or something. Anyway, it's been tumbled!! I appreciate.

By the way, explanation of what the heck you are looking at can be found here.

Detour on the way to the city on the edge of forever

2011-06-13T19:24:00.002-05:00

The A.V. Club has an appreciation/analyses of the writer Harlan Ellison, with accompanying photograph featured above. Of course Ellison is partly known for writing the very best script/screenplay for a Star Trek episode, "The City on the Edge of Forever." Three questions come to mind when I see that pic:

1. Is Shatner gettin' him some?
2. Where are Spock and Kirk's insignia??
3. Were Nimoy and Shatner actually that much bigger than Ellison? They look huge.

Neonopolis

2011-06-09T23:34:00.002-05:00

...a.k.a. 25 neon signs part iv...

1.
Houston, Texas
I begin this episode of Neonopolis with a sign I drove by for many years without stopping. Part of the problem was the fairly intense traffic along Interstate 45/the Gulf Freeway. This Harmony Wedding Chapel is on a feeder road off of I45, and one of those times, I finally pulled over and got its weathered old neon sign.

2.
Houston, Texas
This is from the Heights Theater, a theater built in 1929, remodeled in 1935 in its current Art Deco design.

3.
Mineola, Texas

4.
Richmond-Rosenberg, Texas
The towns of Richmond-Rosenberg were on the way to (and from) my mom and dad's hometown, Eagle Lake. This is one of the earliest neon signs I can remember seeing, and I would have seen it a lot(!).

5.
Another one in Richmond-Rosenberg, Texas

6.
I've heard this one in Marlin, Texas, is gone.

7.
A different shot of this one in Alexandria, Louisiana, got me published, so to speak. Great sign! The voodoo theme is very Louisiana.

8.
Attached to the endangered (in fact, for all I know, it's been demolished) 1937 Art Deco Martini Theater in Galveston, Texas.

9.
Temple, Texas

10.
Austin, Texas

11.
Shreveport, Louisiana

12.
Galveston, Texas (my hometown!)

13.
Taylor, Texas

14.
Houston, Texas, c. 1954

15.
Junction, Texas

16.
Fort Worth, Texas

17.
Austin, Texas

18.
Santa Rosa, New Mexico
From Route 66 in New Mexico (Images of America) (p. 27):

In 1956, Joe Campos Sr. opened La Fiesta Café as a drive-in. It was enclosed in 1962-1963, and Jose passed it on to his son Joseph in 1985. It is now Joseph's Bar and Grill.

19.
Port Arthur, Texas

20.
Austin, Texas

21.
Tucumcari, New Mexico
La Cita opened in 1940, and the new building with the sombrero-shaped entrance opened right across Route 66 in 1961. It closed in 2004 but reopened in 2006.

22.
Santa Rosa, New Mexico
From the motel's website:

The La Loma Motel is an authentic vintage motel in Santa Rosa, New Mexico and has been a favorite rest stop for travelers along route 66 since the 1940s. You may be interested to know that the Campos family has run the La Loma since it opened, and we still do. We here at the La Loma believe that the route 66 traveler deserves a good nights rest at a great rate, so stop on by and experience the warmth and friendly hospitality of days gone by.

23.

Richmond-Rosenberg, Texas

24.
Tucumcari, New Mexico

25.
Houston, Texas

Lounge mix for summer

2011-06-07T20:10:00.011-05:00

Let's start with some Mancini, Monica Mancini, doing a very John Barry/James Bond take on her papa's song "Charade" (also the newest song, 2004, featured within this post):

From his 1960 The Enchanted Sea album, this is Martin Denny's version of "Bangles, Baubles and Beads." It's weird, yet beautiful (typical Martin Denny):

Cal Tjader, putting a Pacific spin on a down-home American tune, the Hoagy Carmichael classic, "Stardust," on his 1963 Verve album, Breeze from the East:

"Lugar Bonita (Pretty Place)" from Astrud Gilberto. This was recorded for her Look to the Rainbow album from 1965:

Finally, perhaps too late in the sixties (1968), and therefore too counterculture, to be placed under the "cocktail culture" heading, but time has a way of grouping things together. This song was (in hind-site) clearly concocted by "the man" (corporate rock) and so not actually a product of the counterculture at all.

Bob Crewe (The Bob Crewe Generation)

This has the effect of thereby rendering it essentially something intrinsically rooted in cocktail culture (the music of the establishment, the cultural status quo). I speak of the Bob Crewe Generation's groovy, corporate psychedelia, "Barbarella," from the motion picture of the same name. My favorite part of this, the Herb Alpert-esque, musical magic, begins at around 1:18:

Awesomeness. Guess I'll be in love with Jane Fonda for a few days now.

This corportatized psychedelia featured a group who called themselves The Glitterhouse.

Something about loss, preservation, and obscurity

2011-06-02T14:06:00.004-05:00

The drive to McKinney, Texas, turned out to be a bit longer (30-40 minutes; Garmin usually shaves at least 15 minutes off the Google time) than either Google Maps or Garmin told me it would be, so I was sort of dreading the drive back before I'd even arrived. But once I got there, it seemed to have all been worth it. I had a list of thirteen items to locate, tag and bag, the majority being Victorian-style homes. But I became bored by the houses after the third or fourth, which worked out, because I was soon reminded that McKinney has a handful of great, vintage neon signs (gems, really). Besides, old signs are far more interesting than homes built 130-150 years ago...

I knew about this sign, but, believe it or not, I had not put it on my list or even planned to shoot it(!) Glad I did now, though. It turned out to be more impressive in....person. The lady-working-the-front-desk/manager/owner/authority-figure-in-charge was sitting in a chair facing out one the windows in the office to the left the whole time I was taking pictures of the sign. Awkward.

Didn't know about this one, I don't think. No plaza left, as far as I could tell. I'd bet there are lots of people who grew up in McKinney during its (the plaza's) heyday who get a lot of memories seeing this old sign. Seems like the Camelot/castle/knights-in-shining-armor motif was very popular during the fifties and sixties (when I was growing up). How neat that "the powers that be" chose to leave this standing. Good on 'em.

The (Former) Collin County Courthouse. Oh, the humanity!:

1927 drastic modifications removed Second Empire elements including mansard roofs, wrought iron spires, and windows. Alterations by W.A. Peters. Exterior restored in 1983. Abandoned in 1979. 1996: Leased by the city of McKinney.

(source)

Bad on 'em! The same darn thing happened in Austin.

Masonic Lodge Building and "Reading Room" sign, c. 1900

Pope-Silver Brothers Building, c. 1929, Art Deco

The Ritz Theatre opened on October 8, 1928, with the Joan Crawford film Our Dancing Daughters.

Must have been scandalous in McKinney!

Speaking of being easily offended, on to some Victorians:

Crouch-Perkins House, c. 1887; Queen Anne (Victorian)

Preserved, yet not quite the same. Texas Historical Commission photo from around 1982:

Heck, even the Google maps Street View is cooler:

The Gough-Hughston House, c. 1898; Queen Anne (Victorian)

Phenomenal, I'd say! I think it'd been moved.

Here's the THC pic (from around 1982):

The Heard-Craig House, c. 1900, Queen Anne; architect: J.E. Flanders

Like I mentioned, I got a bit bored with the hunt for the houses on my list, this feeling partly due to the healthy, summer vegetation. I should try to get back to McKinney in the fall when views are less obscured. Alas, this is part of being a photographer - you work with what you have, whether it's the sun (or lack thereof), telephone lines/cables, or overgrown/full vegetation:

Joseph Field Dulaney House, c. 1910; American Four-Square

So here is the THC Atlas pic of the 1902 Queen Anne, E.W. Kirkpatrick House:

Google maps was pretty reliable this time:

All I could get were glimpses:

I got a good, clear shot of the Kirkpatrick House barn (also 1902 Queen Anne) though:

William B. Largent House, c. 1890; Victorian

According to the Texas Historical Commission's Atlas:

When built in the late nineteenth century, this structure was a massive Victorian dwelling w/ three-story towers at each end of the facade. William B. Largent, a pioneer merchant in McKinney, built the house. A fire in 1935 destroyed much of the upper level, but the ground floor retains much of its original detailing.

Charles P. and Sallie G. Heard House, c. 1893; Queen Anne

The Google maps shot was, again, fairly accurate:

The Aron-Harris House, c. 1889; Queen Anne:

The Google Maps pic, by the way (very reliable):

So after all of that fail (due to foliage), it was nice to find Bill Smith's Cafe, primarily due to its neon sign. This place has been around since 1956, and I've been wanting to photograph the sign since 2005. Obviously, this was on my list:

HUZZAH!
And finally, like the McKinney Inn MOTEL sign, I knew about this sign, but wasn't impressed enough to add to my list of things to shoot. But, again, I was very glad I took the time to get this:

Randomness around downtown Nac

2011-05-31T19:47:00.004-05:00

That's some graffiti/artwork on the Banita Creek Bridge, built in 1941 under the Work Projects Administration. But more about the bridge later.

M.C. Hazle Building, c. 1901; architect: Diedrich Rulfs

The Main Theater opened around 1950.

This building has been around since 1910. Its historic occupant was Murphy Shoe Repair.

Greer's, c. 1910

Banita Creek Bridge, built in 1941 by the W.P.A.; Art Deco? Probably.

View of the Hoya Building (Charles Hoya Land Office in foreground)

The Hoya Building is another one of Diedrich Rulfs' creations.

Charles Hoya Land Office, c. 1897

The Hotel Fredonia in background, with awesome Milam Lodge sign in upper foreground

"American Anthem"

2011-05-30T19:14:00.005-05:00

Here is a more full length version of the song. I think about my maternal grandmother's younger brother, Gerald Shirley, whenever I hear this. He died in 1945 after the fighter plane he was piloting went down, somewhere out in the Pacific, near Japan, as it was nearing its aircraft carrier. Gerald was unable to get out of the plane after it went down in the ocean. His co-pilot did though. My grandmother believed Gerald was one of the last guys to die out in the Pacific (if not the last). He would have been in his early twenties.

"On the Street Where You Live"

2011-05-24T21:34:00.011-05:00

I like Vic Damone's version of "On the Street Where You Live" all right, but it doesn't swing as hard as Dean Martin's. Dino's version was recorded for his 1960 This Time I'm Swingin'! album. The arranger/conductor on the song and album was Nelson Riddle (obviously), hence the elegant swing rhythm. Riddle was of course the guy who helped to retool Frank Sinatra's sound in the mid-1950s. Heck, this recording even featured Harry "Sweets" Edison, the trumpet player so important to Sinatra that the singer often made sure Edison had his own mike at recording sessions.

Pics from the Seattle Municipal Archives via Flickr

25 more more neon signs

2011-05-19T20:49:00.002-05:00

....or would it be more²?

1.
Houston
I found this one in a weed-covered, cracked cement parking lot, behind a row of abandoned commercial buildings, in a "rough" part of Houston, while looking for a totally different sign (which was gone). The font on this one caught my eye.

2.
Eagle Lake
In the town where my mom and dad met during high school. This building burned to the ground about a year and a half ago, along with the sign (I'm assuming).

3.
Austin

4.
Grand Saline

5.
Garrison

6.
Pecos

7.
Groveton
The owner came out while I was taking this picture and told me the sign was for sale ($5,000). According to her, it still lit up, but the wires smoked after it'd been on for a while. She told me it was from the '40s. Someone must have taken her up on the offer, because the sign is no longer there.

8.
Timpson

9.
La Grange

10.
Taylor

11.
Tyler

12.
Kilgore

13.
Houston

14.
Greenville

15.
Livingston
Get out of here! Television and air conditioning?? Oh, the marvels of the modern age. Will the wonders never cease?

16.

Waco

17.
Dallas

18.
Carlsbad, New Mexico

19.
Marshall

20.
Denison

21.
Gladewater

22.
Beaumont

23.

both in Kilgore

24.
Gonzales

25.
Port Arthur

Q. & A. with Diedrich Rulfs

2011-05-17T17:58:00.001-05:00

The local newspaper, The Daily Sentinel (subscription only), yesterday conducted a question and answer with Diedrich Rulfs (the Master Architect of Nacogdoches). The "interview" was conceived by Sarah O'Brien of the Nacogdoches Main Street organization, and appears to have been conducted with local Rulfs expert, Dr. Jere Jackson. I got a plug:

Q. What book are you reading now? 

A. The most complete accounting of Rulfs' projects still standing is an electronic book by Nacogdoches resident Chris Adams titled "Diedrich Rulfs; Master Architect of Nacogdoches." It has contemporary photos of all the Rulfs structures identified so far. It is viewable online at: http://exquisitelyboredinnacogdoches.blogspot.com/2009/06/diedrich-rulfs-master-architect-of.html.

Pet Sounds at 45

2011-05-16T13:38:00.004-05:00

I was in a Beach Boys phase around the time I was a freshman at the University of Texas, way back in 1985. The only thing I'd ever heard off of Pet Sounds was "Sloop John B" and, of course, the majestically, bittersweet-fully beautiful "Wouldn't It Be Nice." But I knew it was the album Paul McCartney had credited with inspiring him to do Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and it was usually ranked high (number one or two) on "greatest rock album ever" lists. So I had to have it. Back in those days, it was difficult (believe it or not) to find a copy of Pet Sounds on record or cassette. Being in Austin that fall of '85, I was finally (joyfully) able to find a copy of the record at one of the record stores (Waterloo Records) on the Drag.

Now I'll admit, I was suffering from an extreme case of homesickness that fall. Having never really ever been away from home, I was a mess. Hearing certain television commercial jingles was enough to cause me to break (privately, mind you) into tears. So the melancholy odes to fading youth and the pain of first love clicked into place in my mind perfectly. I had found the soundtrack to my angst-ridden freshman year! "Here Today," "That's not Me," "Caroline No" (sooo beautiful and sad) and most of all, "I Just Wasn't Made for These Times," seemed to have been writ muy especial, for me.

The album was released forty-five years ago today (Brian Wilson taught the band to play). The Houston Press has a fantastic write-up on it and this won-won-wonderful video about "God Only Knows" (first track, side two):

L.A. Noire

2011-05-14T19:26:00.008-05:00

There's been a lot made out of the realistic facial expressions of the characters in the latest from Rockstar Games, L.A. Noire. It uses "ground-breaking new MotionScan performance-scanning technology, which utilizes 32 high-definition cameras to capture actors’ faces in 3D, transferring every aspect of the performance into the game, enabling players for the first time to lip-read in-game characters and to read every facial expression down to the finest detail" (source). To me, it's actually the least appealing part of the game. I think the process makes the characters' heads seem disproportionally larger than their bodies, especially if they are wearing a hat, which, because the setting is the 1940s, everyone is.

Ma'am, I'm Detective Bighead. I need to ask you some questions.
But I'm sure I can get used to the heads looking so odd after a while. Other than that, it has some really cool things going for it:

1. It's done in part by Rockstar Games, maker of the Grand Theft Auto series and last year's Red Dead Redemption (and later add-on mini-game Red Dead Nightmare). I love just about everything they've done, including Manhunt and even Bully. ~~Because Rockstar is involved, L.A. Noire features a "sandbox" style of play, used previously in the GTA. games. So, yay.~~. Okay, so I was totally wrong about what I said in the previous sentence.

2. It's set in Los Angeles (duh) during the 1940s. The New York Times described it as being "Steeped in gorgeous renderings of 1947 Los Angeles." It should have a kind of Sunset Blvd./L.A. Confidential vibe to it. The Guardian review describes the setting as being "a gloriously convincing depiction of Los Angeles in 1947."

3. It ought to be somewhat like playing a Raymond Chandler novel (my favorite books) or a classic noire film. This early reviewer says:

"From start to finish, LA Noire feels like a film – LA Confidential, in fact, along with any similarly hard-boiled example of film noir adapted from stories by the likes of Chandler and Hammett."

4. And finally, and this is what sold me on it - it's big. Hopefully this means there'll be lots of gameplay and things to do. The Los Angeles Times describe it as being "epic."

"Telefone"

2011-05-13T22:24:00.002-05:00

Happy happy joy joy!

Walter Wanderley

"Moonglow"

2011-05-10T19:25:00.003-05:00

From 1941, Artie Shaw and His Orchestra perform "Moonglow":

Artie Shaw in 1947 (source)

25 more neon signs

2011-05-06T21:21:00.005-05:00

1.
Pasadena, Texas

Due to the the overwhelming response to the previous....

2.
Pecos

3.Nacogdoches

4.
Amarillo

5.
Austin

6.
Texarkana

7.
Nacogdoches

8.
Galveston

9.
Austin

10.
Livingston

11.
Mexia

12.
Santa Rosa, New Mexico

13.
Kilgore

14.
Carlsbad, New Mexico

15.
Carthage

16.
Weimer

17.
Amarillo

18.
Roswell, New Mexico

19.
Kilgore

20.
Amarillo

21.
Brenham

22.
Pecos

23.
Alexandria, Louisiana

24.
Austin

25.
Houston

More to come (I know you can't wait)....

'66

2011-05-05T19:29:00.001-05:00

Mom, Dad, moi

Another Mad Men moment

2011-05-03T20:17:00.004-05:00

I just finished up disc 4 of the 4-disc set of the fourth (and latest) season of Mad Men. Season 4 takes place between late November 1964 and October 12, 1965. Main character Don Draper has a young daughter and lives in New York City. So it only goes to follow that a scene such as this would occur:

Awww.....that's so sweet! I hope Paul McCartney (and Ritchie) have seen that.
Don and Sally Draper would have attended the Beatles' Shea Stadium show on August 15, 1965. A slightly trivial tidbit is that the Beatles played Shea a second time, almost to the day, a year later (not even some of The Beatles knew they'd played there twice, LOL). But that show in '65 was historic - one of the first (if not the first) stadium type show, which is the norm today. My favorite part of the '65 concert was "Baby's in Black." Great harmonies on this 'un:

25 neon signs

2011-04-30T13:59:00.003-05:00

1.
Tyler

There is something about a vintage neon sign that just thrills the heck out of me. I've driven a lot of Tejas (and elsewhere) to find them, and I hope to find more. But the very nature of them (vintage) makes them increasingly difficult and rare to find. Add to that factors such as the climate, like it is down along the Gulf of Mexico (where I grew up, down in Galveston). The salty air causes stuff to rapidly rust away, and the occasional hurricanes do their fair share of destroying signs from the past. So, due to my difficulty in locating them, the joy when finding or stumbling upon one is great. These are some of my favorites (out of a set of 336, taken from December 2005 to April 2011).

2.
Richmond-Rosenberg

3.
Waco

4.
Seven Oaks

5.
A confusing sign in Dallas...

6. & 7.
Dallas and Houston

8.
Austin

9.
Tucumcari, New Mexico

10. & 11.
Waco and Austin

12.
Kerrville

13.
Austin

14.
Atlanta

15.
Mineola

16.
Austin

17.
Corrigan

18.
Bonham

19.

Tyler (same sign in different light)

20.
Texarkana

21.
Pecos

22.
Sealy

23.
McLean

24.
Texarkana

25.
Huntsville

To be continued....

THE Voice

2011-04-28T18:33:00.005-05:00

I didn't know Frankie had ever done a version of "Let's Get Lost." This recording seems to be from one of his numerous appearances on radio during the 1940s, probably at the height of "Sinatramania." It's sort of odd to hear him doing this, other than the person I've always identified the tune with, Chet Baker. I'm fairly certain Sinatra had a completely different concept of "getting lost" than Baker did (LOL)!

Sinatra with co-author of "Let's Get Lost," Jimmy McHugh

Rosewood Theatre

2011-04-23T20:52:00.000-05:00

My dad took this picture of the Rosewood Theatre in Memphis, Tennessee, during the '70s or 80s. The theater as pictured is long gone.

"I Like to Lead When I Dance"

2011-04-21T20:19:00.009-05:00

Just another day in Sinatraland.
A swellegant, elegant track from Robin and the 7 Hoods, unreleased and unheard until 2002, "I Like to Lead When I Dance" was written by the great songwriting team behind so many of Sinatra's notable tunes, Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen.

It was conducted and arranged by Nelson Riddle, the guy partly responsible for Sinatra's Capitol Records-era career rebirth. So, it swings and throbs with their (Sinatra and Riddle) tempo of the heartbeat. It was recorded on April 8, 1964.

The booklet accompanying the Frank Sinatra in Hollywood 1940-1964 box set has a Warner Bros. Studios' Robin and the 7 Hoods production report for Wednesday, November 20, 1963, on which a rehearsal for a "I Like to Lead When I Dance" sequence is listed. But it was apparently (unfortunately!) never filmed. It's too bad this wonderful song/recording was kept in "the vaults" until just a few years ago. It's become one of my favorites of Sinatra's.

"I like to steer the car whenever I drive
And hold the door ajar when we arrive..."
"They" don't make 'em like this anymore! And that's too bad:

"My sweet - I'll repeat in advance"
The magic of Sammy Cahn right there, baby! NICE little lyrical moment.
Great internal rhyme.

"Tristeza (Goodbye Sadness)"

2011-04-20T19:16:00.002-05:00

From her 1967 album Beach Samba, "Tristeza (Goodbye Sadness)" is a song which could have been written just for Astrud Gilberto, as it fits very well her nice, yet limited vocal range. I'm also quite fond of the organ on this one.

A Heights sampler

2011-04-19T19:01:00.000-05:00

From the Texas Historical Commission's Historic and Architectural Resources of Houston Heights (written in the early 1980s):

One of the first planned suburbs in the state, Houston Heights has retained its architectural and civic identity to an unusual degree. This has been accomplished in spite of its location in one of the fastest growing cities in the United States. The Heights presents a Whitman's Sampler of turn-of-the-century architectural styles. Several notable late-Victorian mansions and substantial early 20th-century public, ecclesiastical, and commercial buildings serve as the anchors of the neighborhood. Nevertheless, the real strength of the Heights rests in its wide array of essentially vernacular, middle-class, and domestic architecture of the period 1893-1932.

J.H. Clare House, c. 1905, r. 1920; transitional Queen Anne

1050 Heights Boulevard, c. 1930

John Milroy House, c. 1898; Stick/Eastlake

carriage house

Upchurch House, c. 1906; Queen Anne

Milroy-Muller House, c. 1895; Colonial Revival/Queen Anne

1648 Harvard Street, c. 1885; Queen Anne

Mansfield House, c. 1900; Stick/Eastlake

1812 Harvard Street, c. 1895

1809 Harvard Street, c. 1920

The Inkspots Museum, c. 1930 (birthplace of Huey Long)

Banta House, c. 1918; Craftsman/Bungalow

Going mobile

2011-04-18T23:23:00.003-05:00

EBiN may now be easily viewed on a mobile or smartphone whilst operating your motor carriage!

A quick one (while he's away)

2011-04-18T21:22:00.003-05:00

A couple of neon signs in H-Town:

Off of the Katy Freeway, I think this place has been around since at least the 1970s.

Art in a small town

2011-04-15T22:08:00.001-05:00

For the past few months the insurance company that moved into the old Mize Department Store building, here, in Nacogdoches, has had some aesthetically pleasing window displays. Somebody there has an eye for the artistic, and this time, the avant-garde. I interpret it as being a commentary on an era of domestic bliss which is gone -- a headless mannequin tableau, complete with flickering television screens displaying pop culture of the past.

...Ultra shine, everytime.

The Andy Griffith Show

"Your Mother Should Know"

2011-04-13T21:39:00.013-05:00

I think about two things (mainly) whenever I see the finale to The Beatles' Magical Mystery Tour:

1) What precisely does John's maniacal, persistent smile mean? Is he mocking the song/the Busby Berkeley-esque quality? Did he feel what they were doing wasn't "cool"? They were, after all, just four leather-clad rockers from Liddypool...Or is he simply off his rocker at this point?

And 2) Just how many takes did it....take to film the lads coming down those stairs?? Or did they just rehearse their butts off and get it in one take? Beatle George mentions in the The Beatles Anthology how difficult it is was for them to film scenes in Help!, primarily due to their (at that time) constant intake of tea. But the timing of things in this part of Mystery Tour must have presented everyone involved with an entirely different, more complex level of challenge! Watch Lennon at about :15 as he almost blows it. And of course, Paul's black rose led to those fanatics with too much time on their hands (today called "bloggers") to continue believing Paul McCartney had been dead for years and had in fact been replaced with Billy Shears.

Anyway, it's one of the great tunes on the soundtrack, sort of a "music hall" style ditty, along the lines of "Honey Pie" or "When I'm 64," which Paul was known for writing at that time. According to the song's Wikipedia entry, Brian Epstein made his last appearance at a Beatles recording session while they were doing this one.

An amazingly clearer (but much shorter) version:

And neither of those videos has my favorite moment (perhaps in all of Magical Mystery Tour), which can be seen starting here.

Nacogdoches has come unstuck in time

2011-04-10T19:26:00.006-05:00

For anyone who happened to make it by the Hotel Fredonia in Nacogdoches this past weekend, it was very easy to imagine what it would have been like when the hotel opened back in 1955. And guess who went over, early, to photograph the scene and pretend as if there was nothing unusual about having a parking lot full of cars from a vanished time?

The Early Ford V-8 Club decided to hold their annual meet-up here, in Nacogdoches, as opposed to their usual meeting place in Houston.

Please pardon the 15 second commercial at the beginning.

Again, not really being a car guy (although it was impossible to deny the coolness of these), I wanted it to be as if I was simply taking pictures of the Hotel Fredonia on a typical day back in the 1950s. The hotel's Facebook page has actual pictures of the cars for anyone who is interested.

Mood swingin'

2011-04-08T19:22:00.002-05:00

Two songs, ~~bipolar~~ polar opposites (at least titularly). Like other recordings, I'd like to climb into each and crawl around within. And by this I mean they are indicative of an era for which I strangely yearn - nostalgia for that which I myself did not experience.

This version of "Smile" was arranged and conducted by a distinguished looking British chap named Frank Chacksfield. A perfect melding of lounge and easy listening styles, it's a shame this type of thing is no longer done. It was recorded for his 1965 album, The New Limelight. Ahh, 1965....Chacksfield came out of the Big Band Era and obviously managed to make a go of it after that type of music was no longer widely popular (hello, Elvis!).

"Blue Mood" is a fantastic, über loungy tune from German TV and film composer, Gert Wilden. According to his Wikipedia page, "he is perhaps best known for his music for erotic films in the 1970s, especially the Schoolgirl Report (Schulmädchen Report) series."

That fact may cast a slight pall on ol' Gert, but I still love "Blue Mood," such a beautiful composition to come out of that trash. Not everyone could be Henry Mancini! Those Big Band Era guys had to earn a living, I suppose, even long after the era has passed.

Settlements in Palestine

2011-04-06T20:07:00.003-05:00

Distant morning view of Anderson County Courthouse
A couple of 1890s-era Queen Annes
I've not been able to identify either, yet.

703 South Magnolia Street, c. 1895, Queen Anne

Sacred Heart Church, c. 1890, Gothic; architect: Nicholas J. Clayton

Palestine Carnegie Library, c. 1914, Prairie School

Palestine Lodge No. 31, A. F. & A. M., c. 1878;
architect: Nicholas J. Clayton

Texas Theatre, c. 1930

Link House, c. 1897, Queen Anne

The Link House, c. 1852, Classical Revival

Former Phillips 66 station

A man drove by in his Mercedes just as I was standing there taking pictures and asked what I'd give him for it. I think he meant the gas station; I thought he meant the gas pump. I said, "$250," and he chuckled, waved, and drove on.

Howard House, c. 1848, Greek Revival

503 East Hodges, c. 1896, r. 1902, Queen Anne
By far my favorite on this trip.

1025 North Mallard, c. 1910, Prairie School
Interesting roof on this one.

Hodges-Darsey House, c. 1895, Queen Anne

601 East Hodges, c. 1905, Classical Revival

The next eight are on Silk Stocking Row:

416 South Sycamore, c. 1900, Queen Anne

805 South Sycamore, c. 1895, Queen Anne

Pennybacker-Campbell-Wommack House,
c. 1891, r. 1923, Queen Anne

921 South Sycamore, c. 1890, Queen Anne

1014 South Sycamore, c. 1900, Craftsman
Standing out like a sore thumb, nestled smack dab in the middle of the "Silk Stocking Row" neighborhood of turn-of-the-century Victorian homes, is this little place. Servant's quarters? Must have been some type of domestic servant's home, originally.

717 South Sycamore, c. 1879, Queen Anne

1219 South Sycamore

William and Caroline Broyles House, c. 1894-1895, Victorian Eclectic

"A New Birth of Freedom"

2011-03-30T20:54:00.011-05:00

Ken Burns is an amazing and highly skilled documentarian/filmmaker. He and his Florentine Films crew have focused their camera on such diverse topics as Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Hart Benton, and Jack Johnson, the Brooklyn Bridge and baseball, all the while maintaining a distinct, recognizable, and oft-imitated style. In my humble onion, there's a level of genius at play in his work, and he has definitely produced works of art.

By far my favorite of his work is The Civil War. I find that one to be especially powerful and moving. Sure, no doubt it's because of the topic, but it is also due to segments ("A New Birth of Freedom") such as the one at the end of the fifth episode, "The Universe of Battle."

The segment is about the day in November 1863 when Abraham Lincoln attended the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, only months after the Battle of Gettysburg, and delivered his Gettysburg Address. There are other examples of this, but when Sam Waterston begins reading (as Lincoln) the speech, and "Ashokan Farewell" kicks in....words just can't truly do it justice. "Transcendent" might be a good place to start trying to describe the overall effect. I refer to what begins around 3:32 in the following:

Watch the full episode. See more Ken Burns.

Now unfortunately (and ironically, since it's from PBS) the most stirring moment of this for me (and an example of Ken Burns' potently effective style), is cut from the video above. It comes during the last few seconds, just before the final credits of the episode begin. As Waterston finishes reading those sacred words, and the final chord of "Ashokan Farewell" fades away, there is silence, the camera lingers for three or four seconds on that great portrait of Lincoln (taken by Mathew Brady, I believe), and the screen fades to black. I blubber like a baby almost every time (dammit!), for the man, looking thoroughly spent and depleted, his sacrifice, and due to the beauty of the filmmaker's accomplishment. Please experience that at around 1:30:43, at the end of this complete version of the episode. It's subtle, but nuance is what life is so often about!

"Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White)"

2011-03-25T04:47:00.002-05:00

"Cereza Rosa," or "Cherry Pink (and Apple Blossom White)" or "Gummy Mambo" is the English version of "Cerisier rose et pommier blanc," a popular song with music by Louiguy written in 1950. French lyrics to the song by Jacques Larue and English lyrics by Mack David both exist and recordings of both have been quite popular. However, Perez Prado's recording of the song as an instrumental with his orchestra featuring trumpeter Billy Regis, whose trumpet sound would slide down and up before the melody would resume, was the most popular version in 1955, reaching number one on the Billboard charts. The most popular vocal version in the U.S. was by Alan Dale, reaching #14 on the charts in 1955.

(source)

Perez Prado

I could have sworn this song was used during the Lake Tahoe party scenes near the beginning of The Godfather II!

The four Stooges

2011-03-22T20:54:00.003-05:00

Moe, Larry, ~~and~~ Curly, AND Shemp
I heart Curly.

Hello, hello, hello...HELLO!
This is something I didn't know about The Three Stooges. So, Shemp Howard was one of the original Three Stooges when they (Moe Howard and Larry Fine) began the vaudeville act in 1925. He quit the group in 1932, and youngest Howard brother, Jerry (Curly), then joined.

Well, I'm exhausted (whew!) now after having written this paragraph, so let me let Jimi take over*:

Curly was easily the most popular member of the team. His childlike mannerisms and natural comedic charm (he had no previous acting experience) made him a hit with audiences. The fact that Curly had to shave his head for the act led him to feel unappealing to women. To mask his insecurities, Curly ate and drank excessively and caroused whenever the Stooges made personal appearances, which was approximately seven months out of the year. His weight ballooned in the 1940s, and his blood pressure was dangerously high. His wild lifestyle and constant drinking eventually caught up with him in 1945, and his performances suffered. In his last dozen shorts (ranging from 1945's If a Body Meets a Body through 1947's Half-Wits Holiday), he was seriously ill, struggling to get through even the most basic scenes.

It was during the final day of filming Half-Wits Holiday on May 6, 1946, that Curly suffered a debilitating stroke on the set, ending his 14-year career. Curly's health necessitated a temporary retirement from the act, and while the Stooges hoped for a full recovery, Curly never starred in a film again. He did make one brief cameo appearance in the third film after Shemp returned to the trio, Hold That Lion! It was the only film that contained all four of the original Stooges (the three Howard brothers + Larry) on screen simultaneously; Jules White recalled Curly visiting the set one day, and White had him do this bit for fun.

And here that wonderful little moment is:

Yep, it's Curly!

*

The post wherein Miss Havisham meets Judge Stephen W. Blount

2011-03-15T09:20:00.005-05:00

The 1897 Judge Stephen W. Blount House in Nacogdoches
In her autobiography, A Kind of Magic (1963), Edna Ferber compared Galveston, Texas, to wealthy spinster Miss Havisham, the "gray, mournful abandoned bride of Dickens' Great Expectations."

That quote about Miss Havisham is from The Galveston That Was, a photography book that came out the year I was born in Galveston, and my parents had a copy of laying around in the house for as long as I can remember (a copy which they still have, and I will still occasionally thumb through) and a copy of which I now also own. What a lasting impact that book has turned out to have had on my life. Astounding, really. See, kids! The power of books (and reading)! Anyway, they include a quote from A Kind of Magic as a dedication at the beginning of the book. I think it (the quote) could be somewhat applied to Nacogdoches and specifically the Judge Stephen W. Blount House (in Nacogdoches). Please note I've made alterations not at all subtle to the following quote (sorry Edna Ferber):

Here in ~~Galveston~~ NACOGDOCHES the humidity was like a clammy hand held over your face. Yet the city had a ghostly charm. The scent of the tangled gardens hung heavy on the muggy air...Here was a remnant of beauty -- gray, shrouded, crumbling. What did they resemble? Of what did this city remind me? Miss Havisham, of course. That was it. Miss Havisham the spectral bride in Great Expectations."

(source)

"(Take Me to) Aruanda"

2011-03-13T07:44:00.006-05:00

There are singers who are, for many of us, an acquired taste. The tone and timbre of their voices are things for which one is challenged to endure as they squirm and writhe through the first few, nascent listenings. Willie Nelson, Tom Waits, Billie Holiday, Bob Dylan, Louis Armstrong, Johnny Cash - these are/were singers who would probably not even get past the local audition stage of American Idol (and that can't be a good sign!). But if one is patient, and survives early exposure, the overall, musical quality of their voices (no doubt profoundly helped by the quality of the strong material they recorded/record) eventually come through, and there can be great payoff and rewards for the listener.

Astrud Gilberto comes to mind as a singer who would fit into this category - one who does not have a particularly strong voice, and there is occasionally the feeling that things are about to come off the rail, vocally, so to speak. But I bet she wouldn't forget the words to America's national anthem, no matter how nervous she was (and despite not speaking English as her native tongue!).

One of my favorites is a tune off of her 1965 The Shadow of Your Smile album, "(Take Me to) Aruanda":

Take me there!

Unburied treasure

2011-02-28T17:01:00.006-06:00

This Coca-Cola ghost sign was uncovered last week by a crew working inside of a building at the corner of First and Shepherd Streets in downtown Lufkin. What a beauty! That slogan was used during 1907 and 1908 (wow!). And since it was just a couple of buildings down the street, I couldn't help but snap a quick one of this restored beauty:

"We've Only Just Begun"

2011-02-25T20:46:00.016-06:00

Okay, so my Pandora, Exotica/Lounge station, in between Martin Denny tunes and every version of "One Note Samba" or "Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars" ever recorded, wants to keep forcing The Carpenters' "We've Only Just Begun" down my throat, and I find I am unwilling to give it a thumb's down.

Quite frankly, because it's such a beautiful song/arrangement/recording/performance, I also must turn it up so that it's even louder. Those background vocals! Oh, the goosebumps they inspire. There are so many memories for me when I hear them.

Because their career flourished during my childhood, I was definitely aware of The Carpenters. I am flooded with sensory memories upon hearing "We've Only Just Begun" now. I remember seeing them on numerous TV specials on one of the four or five channels we got back then. Obviously they were all over AM/FM radio. And I think about my piano teacher, Cindy, who I had a slight crush on and felt looked a little bit like Karen Carpenter (God rest her soul). Finally, being older now, the song has taken on a new dimension for me in which things aren't "only just beginning," and that stings a bit. Anyway, just give in to this. It is useless to resist:

Houston in the Jazz Age*

2011-02-23T20:21:00.004-06:00

*aaand a couple of late 19th century churches....

Links go to each structure's Texas Historical Commission Atlas entry. I also used this extremely helpful list of the National Register of Historic Places in Harris County. A follow-up post featuring primarily Victorian architecture in Houston is coming. But now, looking at Houston through a Roaring '20s (and a little earlier) filter:

Sterling-Berry House, c. 1916,
Prairie School/Art Nouveau/Classical; architect: Alfred C. Finn

Simon and Mamie Minchen House, c. 1931,
Italian Renaissance; architect: Joseph Finger

Mr. and Mrs. Leonard W. Macatee House, c. 1915, Italian/Picturesque

Link-Lee House, c. 1912, Classical Revival; architect: Alfred C. Finn

Isabella Court, c. 1928-1929, Spanish Colonial Revival, "hints" of Art Deco

Sheridan Apartments, c. 1922,
Mediterranean influence, architect: Alfred C. Finn

Benjamin Apartments, c. 1924, architect: Alfred C. Finn

Old Jefferson Davis Hospital, c. 1924

Morton Brothers Grocery, c. 1925

Schauer Filling Station, c. 1929

One of the first service stations in the Heights

Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, c. 1875-1879, Gothic Revival
Houston's first African American Baptist church; downtown has grown up around it, including, perhaps most notably (and ironically), the former Enron Building (left background).

Annunciation Church, c. 1868, r. 1884,
Romanesque, architect: Nicholas J. Clayton

The need for neon

2011-02-20T20:09:00.004-06:00

That "SIMON" neon sign in April 2008....

And I've already blogged on this; here it is, February 2011:

"Bim Bom"

2011-02-17T18:51:00.000-06:00

"Bim Bom" is considered the first bossa nova song. It was composed by João Gilberto around 1956. The song wasn't recorded until July 1958 when Gilberto released it under Odeon Records along with his version of the first produced bossa nova album, Chega de Saudade.

Gilberto wrote the song on the banks of the São Francisco river as he watched laundresses passing by, balancing loads on their heads. Inspired by the swaying of their steps, Gilberto reproduced their rhythm with "Bim-Bom."

The only lyrics of the song, apart from "Bim-bom-bim," are roughly translated as "This is all of my song / And there's nothing more / My heart has asked that it be this way." Bossa nova would come to be known for the relaxed simplicity of its lyrics as is exemplified in "Bim Bom."

(source)

Of course Astrud Gilberto recorded a version in 1967, but the version I simply can't get out of my head was done by Sergio Mendes and Brasil '66. Theirs was on the 1967 album, Equinox. I like it. I like it a lot.

Radio Days

2011-02-15T11:45:00.005-06:00

Woody Allen on the Radio Days set
Radio Days is the Academy Award-nominated 1987 film directed by Woody Allen. In it, Allen looks back on American family life during the Golden Age of Radio, and it finds the writer/director at his most nostalgic, with a script which shifts between the lightly comedic and the touchingly sad. The narrator (Allen) tells how radio influenced his childhood in the days before TV, during the late 1930s to New Year's Eve 1944. On a trivial note, it is the only Allen film featuring both Diane Keaton and Mia Farrow.

I'm often nostalgic for things I did not personally experience. I wonder what that is called. There must be a word for it! So I find myself watching Radio Days, longing for life in Rockaway, just before, and during the early years of W.W. II.

The houses and surf remind me of the Galveston of my childhood. A longer version of this, done by someone else, can be found here.

An accomplished jazz musician, Woody Allen always displays superior taste in selecting the music for his film's soundtracks. He is one of those filmmakers who is so skilled at matching music with whatever is taking place onscreen. The music in that previous video is, of course, "September Song." The Radio Days soundtrack also featured such gems as "Dancing in the Dark," "Body and Soul," "In the Mood," "You're Getting to Be a Habit with Me," "Begin the Beguine," "All or Nothing at All," "Paper Doll," "Goodbye," "That Old Feeling," "I'm Gettin' Sentimental Over You," "Just One of Those Things," "Take the 'A' Train," "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To," aaand "Night and Day." Wow!

Allen tells of visiting Radio City Music Hall for the first time, with musical accompaniment by boy singer, Frank Sinatra, crooning "If You Are But a Dream" (1944).

The Philadelphia Story (1940)

But those voices don't necessarily have to grow "dimmer and dimmer." You might enjoy what is offered at Jon's Old Time Radio Show Catalog. According to him, as well as hearing thousands of old time radio episodes online, visitors to OTRCAT.com can stream or download full episodes in Mp3 format as well as read detailed descriptions of the performers and series broadcast in the era (1920's – 1959). In the "daily downloads," there are the broadcasts of the day throughout history (from the last 50-70+years).