The photos in the header, behind “Texas Schmexas,” are not necessary symbolic or representative–they’re actually just a collection of photos from our four years in Texas. Some of them were snapped to help me remember the quirkiness of my life during those four years (“B&W Garage Jesus Cares,” for example) and others were selected for their color (like the trumpeter vine). Since the final header is actually a desaturated image, you can’t see the colors anyway.
But if you’re curious about the images, here’s a little more information.
1. an oil derrick: We first came across these during our drive across west Texas, heading to the Grand Canyon. We kept pulling off the road to take pictures of random things like this. Crazy northerners.
2. a Texas-sized tomato: This would make an interesting Rorschach test.
3. a store front at a market in Dallas: It reads “Texas Meats: Supernatural.” I like to pretend the word play on “supernatural” is deliberate.
4. Baylor’s football field
5. Poor Man’s Tire: I drove by this every morning on my way to work. Just behind it to the left was a ramshackle little place that sells “Breakfast, Bar-B-Q, and Soul Food.”
6. Cadillac Ranch, in Amarillo: These are full-size Cadillacs buried half in the ground in the middle of a field, just off the highway. For real.
7. one of the many repainting projects at our Texas house
8. B&W Garage: If I remember correctly, this “Jesus Cares” sign was right next to a sign that said “Brand Spankin’ New Used Cars.” This was also on my way to work.
9. at a rest stop in west Texas: I include this one for my mom.
10. cotton: I am such a Yankee that I had never seen cotton actually growing on a plant before. I couldn’t believe it looked like, um, cotton.
11. a Christmas decoration reflecting our living room
12. an iris in our backyard: The former home owners were avid gardeners, complete with a goldfish pond, a stream, and a little bridge. All of that had been filled in by the time we came along, but the flowers were incredible every spring.
13. scented wax in a craft shop in Boerne
14. Palo Duro Canyon State Park
15. Red’s Drive-In: I blogged about this back in the early days of Texas Schmexas.
16. more flora from the yard: This particular vine was hanging from a big dead tree stump. There is probably something sacramental in that image.
