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.