Lobo, Texas

Located in Culbertson County, Texas, Lobo is nothing more than a memory of a town that struggled to survive. It was abandoned in 1991, not too long ago. According to various online sources, the town is owned by three residents from Germany.

We drove past with no indication of a town ahead. Dilapidated structures and overgrowth were seen behind a barbed wire fence. And then I saw this building. What got my attention were the words on the wall.

We turned around, parked outside the fence. The wind was gusty and rain had begun to fall. No Trespassing signs were posted on the fence. We could see multiple vacant buildings situated behind this one. Apparently the only people allowed on the property are the owners, their family members and their friends.

The structure next to this appears to be a modern hotel, suffocated by overgrown trees and bushes. I say modern because way back in the day, there was a hotel in 1910. There’s a pool behind this. It looks like attention has been paid to the property here and there due to various sections of painted walls.

Highway 90 is where you will find Lobo and is a scenic drive through Texas that will provide interesting sites and a few ghost towns like this one. Lobo is between Van Horn and Marfa. Enjoy your trip.

There is a https://youtu.be/lC1q9gfrBB4 video found on YouTube that allows the viewer a glimpse of what is left of Lobo, Texas

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LSU AG CENTER Botanical Gardens

Below is a photograph of Orangerie at LSU Ag Center Botanic Gardens. This is shot with IR converted Nikon D610 with a 590nm filter. Shot May 2021, my sis and I traveled through Louisiana in search of gardens and historical areas. Our final destination was Biloxi but when we found this beautiful place, we decided to spend the day here. The weather was perfect.

The rose garden was spectacular and in full bloom. Steele Burden was known to love this garden, and it may have been in a different location when he was still alive. CJ and I walked every row and examined every single plant. There are about 150 different varieties and somewhere around 1000 or more individual plants. There are probably more but we were not counting.

 

Lanham, Texas

There’s a ghost town in every county in Texas. So it seems. Texas is a big state. On the way home to our cousin’s house, I took a wrong turn as usual thus leading you to a blog post about a town or church we stumble upon. November 6 was our day to return home from San Antonio. The sun shown brightly for much of the day and the air was warm. The stretch of road curved along Edwards Plateau in Central Texas where dry kleingrass swayed in the breeze. I don’t recall how we ended up on the 22 but it comes off the 281 in Hamilton. That’s not where I turned. That’s were I missed it. We were looking at the architecture throughout the town and sharing stories about which way the wind blows and why people lower the volume of music in the car so they can see better. The drive was quite pleasant.

Once out of town, the view was wide open. I had no intentions of turning onto any other road but dead tree and a small church was situated along the northwest corner of the 22 and a lonely northbound road. We passed it and I immediately turned around while my sister unpacked her camera. We pulled onto the driveway, parked and spent the next 40 minutes walking through the well maintained cemetery. It appears that they, whoever they are, are continually finding new graves. The grass was mowed and it appeared the church and cemetery are well cared for.

After we pulled out on the road and continued East on the 22, we looked up information about Lanham Methodist Church. Every church has a story to tell. We didn’t spend time looking for the town square, downtown, the local bar, or a gas station. There isn’t one. Lanham is a ghost town with a few sites around the web to learn more about it.

The photos below were taken this date. These are infrared images so the ground appears white as if has snowed. There is no snow.

 

Decatur, TX

Just because I haven’t written in a while does not mean I haven’t gone anywhere. Unfortunately the world of healthcare does not always allow me travel as I had in the past. And I’m visiting Decatur once again just to get out of the house.

What is in Decatur?

To begin with, the courthouse is the eye catcher of the town. It is one of the most beautiful historic courthouses built with solid pink granite and Vermont marble. You can’t miss it! I probably have a picture of it in a post from years back. You’ll find this growing town and county seat in Wise County. Decatur is also home of Decatur Baptist College.

Down the road along Business 81/287, you will find the historic Petrified Wood Tourist Camp. There’s a gas station and restaurant all inviting visitors a look back in time. We were there late, nothing was open. We didn’t care. We roamed around taking pictures, staring off into the distance, watching a train pass on the tracks across the road. This is my second or third stop here over the years and I’ve come to a conclusion: I want to lease a classic car from my favorite car collecting cousin and photograph all the refurbished historic gas stations in North Texas.

I can’t say much about the “Eighter From Decatur” mural in the first image. I liked it enough to stop on the corner, get out and open the trunk to grab a bottle of water, point the camera toward the wall and click. And then I got on my phone to look it up and I’m not sure what it all means since there are a dozen or so versions as to the story behind it. And there is always a woman involved. In this case, Ada. I’m not going to write about something I know nothing about but I can share the image.

Tell me what you know!

 

Jerry’s Catfish House–Florence, MS

The address is 3326 US 49, Florence, MS 39073. We weren’t looking for the address nor were we looking for a catfish dinner. It was too early for lunch anyway. When you travel northbound on US 49 it’s likely you’ll see this and some other interesting spots for whatever it is people do south of Jackson, Mississippi. There are some great treasures along the way.

When an unusual formation is seen along a route created to gather people for the purpose of consumption of good southern down home meals, I’ll stop to gather information and if time allows, an order of their “special”.

As you can see in the picture, Jerry’s was closed. It was an hour or two before noon. We pulled up to the front door curious to know if was not closed down and left to weather aware. It wasn’t. After a little bit of online research I learned Jerry’s has been around 10 years or more. I found some reviews from 2009. And after a bit of good reading, I wish my passenger and I would have spent some time in Florence shopping at garden centers and then tracing back down the 49 to the corner of Eagle Post Road once it opened. You can’t miss it. It looks like an igloo.

Oh, there is some good reading on the outside of the front door: The Ten Commandments. God is love.