Texas

Photos of Big Big Ranch State Park and the Davis Mountains Indian Lodge (run by the State Park Service!) from a trip a few years ago. For anyone who hasn't been, I'd say West Texas is an under-appreciated treasure.

In other Texas news, I was very excited to hear a sponsor spot on the local NPR station saying that Big Red Sun has reopened their shop after being closed for a couple of years. That was one of the places I liked to take out-of-town visitors*, and I'm sure the new store (still not sure if it's in the same location) will be just as nice as the old one was.


*I run with a pretty laidback crowd, people who consider nurseries exciting.

seasonally inappropriate

Because I'm so tired of the heat.

heat

Since it's so horribly hot, here is a seasonally appropriate selection from my collection of old photos. Since I bought these at a thrift store in Geneva*, there's a good chance that this was taken near there, which would have meant the water was nice and cool. Probably why our small swimmer looks so happy....



*I have to confess, while I'd be bereft if the internet rug were pulled out from under me, that something about the fact that a 10-second search gives me a website for my old favorite thrift store** makes me a tiny bit sad. But maybe that's just the heat making me sentimental.

**On a more practical note, I highly recommend it if anyone is ever in the area. It's big and has a nice selection of furniture (including a lot of wood wardrobes)--or at least that's how it was 10 years ago. It also had, at the time, a higher proportion of antique and vintage stuff than other thrift stores I went to in Geneva.

nostalgia

We've been trying to figure out a good location for a visit with my husband's family in Europe, and Valencia looks like a frontrunner, which makes me nostalgic for the city and, in particular, our apartment when we lived there.

an evening in Key West

From a trip taken a few months ago to the Florida Keys. Highly recommended: the whole fried fish at El Siboney, a Cuban restaurant in Key West.

happy girls

Another of the old Swiss pictures. I have no idea what the story is behind this, but I'm guessing it's from the 1940s. I just love everyone's expressions.

some sunshine

Since it's unseasonably cold in a lot of places, including where I am, here is the next of the old photos from Switzerland:

I don't know where this was taken (although probably NOT Switzerland), but I love everything about it, except my scan job which, try as I may with different scanners and settings, I can't get quite right (the original is a tiny photo, which I'm sure doesn't help). Here, for good measure, is version #2:

happy new year!

When I was studying near Geneva as a callow youth, one of my favorite things to do was visit thrift stores*, especially a Catholic one in a huge old building. Unfortunately I didn't have the wherewithal to haul home any of the beautiful old wood wardrobes, but I did buy my share of more portable items, including some wonderful old photos.

Front (very New-Year's-Revelry-appropriate):


And back:{Loose translation: "24 May '33/ Burial of the boy's life** [illegible, at least to me]/ at [illegible's] place"}


*Things haven't changed much....
**[I interpret this to be some sort of farewell to a carefree student life?]

vancouver island

On the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve coast trail.