Monthly:February 2016
Today is Ash Wednesday, the traditional start of Lent. Many observant Christians forgo some luxury for Lent and for many, particularly Catholics, giving up meat is quite common. The English word Lent derives from Lenten which means ‘spring’. So, in a roundabout way, this photo of a deer with bluebonnets represents both meat and spring. The bluebonnet is the Texas State Flower and in a few weeks time the fields to the north-west of where I live will be full […]
So today is Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Day, Mardi Gras, Carnival. In 2012, Will Ferrell was the King of the Bacchus parade in New Orleans (who roll through uptown on the Sunday before Mardi Gras). This is my favorite photo of when he rolled by and I think a fitting way to celebrate the day. According to the International Business Times, Shrove comes from shrive meaning to confess while Carnival derives from ‘carne levare’ meaning ‘to take away meat’. In Poland, […]
The Krewe of Endymion parade through the streets of New Orleans on the Saturday before Mardi Gras. This year the krewe turned 50. I took this photo back in 2012 while waiting for the parade to roll. In their infinite wisdom my local school district in Texas didn’t schedule any holidays during the Mardi Gras season so no parades for us this year. To learn more about the history of Endymion you can read this article on nola.com.
That 21 Pilots Song, “Stressed Out” made me think about the simpler times in my life. Upham Sunset is a view across the fields where I grew up. It hasn’t changed much. The house I lived in is off the frame to the right, behind the trees. The house was aligned east-west so I didn’t get to see the sunrise or sunset from my window. That didn’t bother my much, I spent a lot of time outdoors back then. This […]
I saw this old BP Motor Spirit sign at the Cotswold Motor Museum. Perhaps this image stood out to me today as I was at the BP offices in Houston earlier this week. Their current flower helios logo is stateless unlike this sign where BP clearly lies at the center of the United Kingdom. I love the quote marks and the angular font. These enamel on sheet steel signs were common in the 1920s. At this time “BP” stood for “British […]
The Bomber Command Memorial was unveiled by Queen Elizabeth II on 28 June 2012. Perhaps it was covered in a large white sheet and she deftly pulled it away like the waiter snatching the table cloth from under the table settings (but probably not like that at all). The memorial is a short walk from her back yard at Buckingham Palace but I suspect she was driven in a Rolls Royce – which was probably fitting given so many British […]
