2023 Photo-A-Day

El Paso County Courthouse....me? suspected cartel member

The El Paso County courthouse is one of the best looking "modern" courthouses in the State of Texas. The upper floors exterior are mirrored glass with the lower two floors in red brick. The interior walls of the second floor are a mural, painted by a local artist, depicting the history of El Paso. On this trip my wife, Mary Alice and our dog, Tanner, accompanied me as I checked off the west Texas counties and courthouses on my journey to capture every courthouse in the State of Texas. In El Paso I left Mary Alice (MA) and Tanner in the car parked under a shade tree in a pay parking lot. When I arrived back at the car I was approached by two men with badges and guns; an FBI agent and Deputy US Marshall. They asked me what I was doing. After showing them my police ID (retired) and explaining that I was photographing the courthouses of Texas, they let me go. The FBI agent explained that they have been threatened by the "Cartel" in Juarez and they wanted to check me out! I laugh about it now but this was ten years ago. It made and impression on me. I was helped by a county deputy as I entered the courthouse showing me where to get the best shots. On the way out I thanked him

Wharton County Courthouse

Wharton County is located on I-69 about 60 miles southwest of Houston. it was named after two brothers, John and William Wharton. The plantation community was first settled in 1846 by some of Stephen F. Austin's original colonists. The three story majestic courthouse was built in 1889 in the Second Empire architectural style. Note the steep roof, wrought iron acrouments, and arched windows. It was designed by Eugene Thomas Heiner of Houston. The courthouse sits in the middle of Wharton in its courthouse square. I was born in this county in 1947 in El Campo, Texas, about 25 miles south.

Victorian Architecture

I'm not sure what elements compose Victorian architecture (in homes), but I thought this one fits that style. The home is located in Navasota, Texas on the main street (SH105) going into town. The color version of this shot is not much different than this black and white. The house is gray with white trim. It was photographed with a Nikon D750 with a Tokina AT-X 24-70mm lens. The camera settings were ISO-400, 52mm, at f/11 @ 1/750th s. The sun was up (7:38am) and bathed the scene in warm light.

Welcome to Jamaica

On our Caribbean Cruise in December aboard the Ruby Princess, one stop was Jamaica. This guy was the welcoming committee.

Juxtaposition

One of the assigned categories of this month's photo print competition is "Juxtaposition." Does this work? Honest opinions are greatly appreciated. This photo was taken at Galveston's East end. That's the jetties in the background. I was there to photograph a local or someone throwing a cast net in this tidal pool.

Battleship Texas in Drydock

It's About Time As long as I can remember (that's a long time ago) the battleship Texas sat anchored near the San Jacinto Monument. It was a tourist attraction administered by the Texas Parks & Wildlife. Over the years rust and corrosion were too much for the old lady to battle. A massive fund raising drive began several years ago for the refurbishing of the Texas. The contract was signed and it was towed to Galveston Pelican Island for the year long process of restoring the famous ship. Costs were estimated at $30 million. History of the USS Texas In World War II, Texas escorted war convoys across the Atlantic and later shelled the Vichy French in the North African campaign and German-held beaches in the Normandy Landings before being transferred to the Pacific Theater late in 1944 to provide naval gunfire support during the Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. My wife and I booked a Caribbean cruise last December. I could see the USS Texas across the Galveston Ship Channel from the Ruby Princess. As our cruise ship sailed past it, I took some photos of the Texas.

Houston, Texas Skyline at Dawn

Story Behind the Photo My good friend, Loyd Dalton, asked me if I wanted to go with him and photograph the downtown skyline. He had secured a location on Memorial Drive at Waugh Dr on the 20th floor. The management had given him unprecedented access to a vacant condominium on the 20th floor. We met at his office building in Spring Branch and made the short drive to the high rise condo building. The photo was taken with my workhorse Nikon D750 and Tamron 24-70 lens. Camera settings were ISO-100, f/13 @ 4 sec.