A Journey into the Past

Sunday is the best day to explore little towns for pictures.  The shops and businesses are closed and traffic is at a minimum, so it is possible to get shots of buildings and other interesting things without an unwanted person or vehicle in the shot.

On occasion, though, we are lucky enough to meet someone who is adds memories to our expeditions.  Such was the case in Luling.  We stopped at a little farmers market next to the railroad tracks.  Most of the shops were closed.  One that was open not only had interesting merchandise to photograph, but the shop owner was friendly and very conversational.  We will call him "Mr. Luling" and he will be the memory we carry from this quaint little town full of welcome and unique pictures.

 Having lived in Luling his whole life, he talked to us about some of his experiences.  His family farmed the area for generations.  We talked about the watermelons he grew.  He told us about the pumpkins he sold in his shop.  We have never seen so many varieties in one place.  Did you know there were "Blue Velvet" pumpkins or "Turban" pumpkins.  We didn't until this day.  Did you know pumpkins could grown to over 1000 lbs?  We didn't.  And the biggest Watermelon grown in Luling took 2 men to carry it.  We didn't know that either.

Before we left "Mr. Luling" he asked if we had ever been to Zedler Mill.  He said it was an old mill that the city was restoring down by the river.  He remembered going to the mill with his father as a child to pick up cotton from the Gin.  He told us that it was a great place to take pictures, so that was our next stop.

  

"Mr. Luling" was right!  It was a great place to take pictures.  One that I am sure we will visit again with the coming of each new season.  All the buildings are being restored, but in a way to maintain their dignity.  There was dam and a place where the water wheel used to be.  Perhaps the next time we visit we will see a new water wheel in place.  We love the old buildings.

We took pictures of all the old machinery that was used many many years ago.  We love to capture the beauty and workmanship of items that were crafted by hand, rather than mass produced in large factories overseas.  Can you imagine the lives of the people who used this steam engine on a daily basis.  No flipping a switch to turn on the electricity or turning a key to start the engine.  It all required manual labor.

A wonderful day spent exploring a small town in Texas ended up being a Journey into the Past.

Picture Pickers

Have you ever watched the television show American Pickers on the History Channel ?  If you have you will understand how we find our pictures at Mike Lambert Life Photo.  If you haven't, then let me tell you a little about it.

Mike and Frank are too men who deal in old things.  They call it "Rusty Gold".  They travel around the country visiting people who are collectors.  Sometimes they have made previous contact with the people they visit, but often they just drive the country side looking for interesting things and knock on doors to introduce themselves.  They know what they are looking for, but often something catches their attention out of the corner of their eye and they just know it is something they must have.

Mike Lambert Life Photography finds their art in much the same way. A camera is always in reach, whether they are driving around the country side, on vacation, walking down the street, or in a state park. Mike has an eye for the unique. Mike has an eye for the beautiful. And Mike has an eye for what can capture your emotion.

The picture above is a prime example of Mike's eye for a picture.  Traveling down a TX Highway 29 at 65 mph, Mike spotted something along side the road.  When it was safe to do a turnaround he went back and took this picture.  The tiny tattered American Flag was caught in the branches of a tree. 

No one really will ever know how this flag got there.  No one will ever know how many hands it passed through on it's journey to the tree.  Did a little child wave this flag while she walked in a 4th of July parade?  Did an Army wife hold this flag in her hand as she waited to welcome her husband home from his tour of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan?  Did it just grace the front yard of a veteran who wanted to show his patriotism on a National holiday?  Or was it attached to the antenna of a cowboy Cadillac as it drove down the Texas Highway?  How did it become so tattered?  How did it end up in the tree?

These are questions only your imagination can answer.

This little flag speaks of our strong country.  Many times we think America is tattered because of crime, the economy, or the decline of values our great country is founded on.  But, alas, our flag and our country still proudly wave for all to see. No mattered how tattered this red, white, and blue flag is still thing of beauty and a thing that still evokes our love for our country.  This is the meaning of FREEDOM!!  Long may she wave.