This week’s challenge is “Silence”…to me a tree standing alone in a field represents solitude, silence and even peace.
If you would like to see how others interpreted this week’s challenge go to The Daily Post.
We frequently take trips to West Texas to visit family. I enjoy stopping to take photos of abandon buildings, store fronts and houses.
This is a building in Tahoka Texas. 
It is an abandon grocery store. If you look closely at the weather worn painting on the side of the building you can make out, Piggly Wiggly. This is a grocery store chain mostly found in the south of the United States. I was actually surprised to learn that this chain still exists. I guess because I’ve never seen an open one.
On the opposite side of the building was a weather worn painting I really liked. 
I actually think the weathered look adds to the appearance of the painting.
To view more photos inspired by the word “weathered” visit The Daily Post.
This week’s photo challenge is “textures.”
I’ve found myself attracted to brick walls lately. Not neat, smooth brick walls. But, old worn brick walls.
So here are a couple of the walls I’ve taken photos of over the past few months.
Tahoka Texas
Fort Worth Texas
Chelem Yucatan, Mexico
Okemah Oklahoma
To see a variety of textures visit The Daily Post…I’m sure not everyone is sharing wall photos!
A tag line used in Austin Texas is, ‘Keep Austin Weird.” So when I read this week’s challenge from The Daily Post (Unusual) I immediately thought of some photos I took recently when I visited the south side of Austin.
Apparently someone with a unique eye has stapled stuffed animals, puzzle pieces and photos of people on telephone poles up and down a main street. And even more unusual…no one seems to mind. Its just more proof that Austin is proud of its weirdness.
I recently saw a post on Facebook that said: “The problem with the world today is that no one snaps green beans with grandma anymore.”
Maybe that’s true. I remember spending many hours each summer snapping beans, and shucking corn.
Both sets of grandparents had large gardens. Many weekends were spent helping them pick vegetables. As payment for the help, our family got a portion of the food. My mom and her mom would spend hot summer days canning every conceivable vegetable that would last our family through the winter months.
The garden memory that brings a smile to my face was picking ears of corn with my grandpa. As we sat in the backyard shucking the corn Nanny would be in the kitchen boiling the water for the corn and preparing the rest of dinner. I’m not sure I’ve tasted a fresher ear of corn.
As a child, I never enjoyed the work. But as an adult I certainly enjoy the memories. There are times when I can feel the clumps of dirt breaking between my fingers. I learned many lessons about family, hard work and the pride a family can experience when they provide for themselves from the soil of their own land.
Written in response to The Daily Post prompt: Soil
The Daily Post, weekly photo challenge, is to share the unexpected.
The most recent unexpected event I could think of was our visit to Celestun, Yucatan to see real live flamingos. Not flamingos that stand around in a pond at the zoo…but real live flamingos, in the wild, in their own habitat, with their families and their friends…NOT surrounded by screaming children with nowhere to go and nowhere to fly. 
Fortunately, for the flamingos, the boat we hired was only allowed to get within a certain distance. Unfortunately for my photography we couldn’t get closer. 
I could have watched these pink creatures all day. Tina and I both have a long standing love for these unique creatures. So having the opportunity to see hundreds of them at one time was a dream come true. 
Conversations Around the Tree 