2019 Daily Photos
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January 18, 2019 -- Spouting Off
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Old Faithful sends up a spout of water at Yellowstone National Park0118FMP61202014AugustD7100GeysersNational ParksNikonOld FaithfulPlacesTravelWyomingYellowstone
January 16, 2019 -- The International
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The International Hotel & Bar in Austin, Nevada sits along a portion of U.S. 50 which crosses the center of the state and was named “The Loneliest Road in America” by Life Magazine in their July 1986 edition.
The International Hotel & Bar, first built in Virginia City, Nevada in 1859 but was dismantled in 1863 and moved 163 miles east to Austin where it was reassembled becoming the first commercial building in Austin. The International, said to be the oldest in Nevada, still serves meals and drinks but no longer rents out rooms. Austin contains numerous other historical buildings, in various states of repair & disrepair. The town’s population was said to be about 350 in 2005 but had dwindled to 192 at the 2010 census. That’s quite a change from the 10,000+ that were there by summer of 1863 when scores of miners were attracted to the gold & silver prospects in the area. The International Cafe and Bar is said to be haunted by a ghost called “Tommy” that sometimes appears in the bar area ….. I suspect that may be based on how long one has been imbibing at the bar. 😊
The city of Austin was mapped out in 1862 by David Buell. This was during the American Civil War, and the Union was eager to find new sources of precious metals, especially gold & silver, to support the war effort. The city was named after Buell's partner, Alvah Austin, during a silver rush. The valued metal was reputedly found when a Pony Express horse kicked over a rock and observers noticed the silver.
January 15, 2019 -- Phillips 66
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Old Phillips 66 Gas Station in Red Oak II, Missouri.
Red Oak II is a “real, but fake” town created by Artist Lowell Davis. Davis is a well known artist generally referred to as the “Norman Rockwell of Rural Art”. His love for the simpler times is reflected in his pet project Red Oak II, a real, but fake town he created just off old U.S. 66 near Carthage, Missouri over 30 years ago. It’s a collection of more than 40 vintage buildings that comprise the town where he had so many memories as a child. Davis has a love for the simpler times of the past that are reflected, not only in his “new” town, but also in his paintings and sculptures. Of his re-created town, he said: “Red Oak II is a combination of a painting and a sculpture, and it is just made from things that someone else threw away.”
https://www.legendsofamerica.com/mo-redoakii/
January 14, 2019 -- Straight Arrow
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Hood ornament on a 1936 Pierce Arrow at the Pierce Arrow Museum in Buffalo, New York.011427832018AutomobilesBuffaloD750JuneMonthsMuseumNew YorkPierceArrow MuseumPlacesTransportationTravel
January 8, 2019 -- Delicate Lavender
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Not sure of the official name for this pretty lavender & white flower I found in the Crystal Bridge Conservatory at Oklahoma City’s Myriad Botanical Gardens. It just struck me as a good candidate for a closeup.01086FP20942014D610JulyMonthsMyriad GardensNikonOKCOklahomaTravel
January 6, 2019 -- Tom Mix Museum
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The Tom Mix Museum in Dewey, Oklahoma where he served as Sheriff prior to his time as one of America's best know western movie stars.
Tom Mix (1880 – 1940) was an American film actor and the star of many early Western movies between 1909 and 1935. Appearing in 291 films, during his career, he was Hollywood's first Western star and helped define the genre as it emerged in the early days of the cinema.
Mix made 291 movies throughout his career, nearly all featuring action-oriented scripts where Heroes and villains were sharply defined and a clean-cut cowboy always saved the day. Millions of American children grew up watching his films on Saturday afternoons. His intelligent and handsome horse Tony also became a celebrity. Mix did his own stunts and was frequently injured. His performances were noted for their realism and for screen-friendly action stunts and horseback riding, attention-grabbing cowboy costumes, and showmanship.
Mix was the acknowledged "King of Cowboys" when Ronald Reagan and John Wayne were young, and the influence of his screen persona can be seen in their approach to portraying cowboys. When an injury caused football player Marion Morrison (later known as John Wayne) to drop out of the University of Southern California, Mix helped him find work moving props in the back lot of Fox Studios. That was the beginning of Wayne's Hollywood career.
December 4, 2019 -- U-Drop Inn
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The U-Drop Inn Restaurant and Tower Service station in Shamrock Texas opened for business on April 1, 1936 as a real “show stopper” for its day. This unique building, constructed of brick and green glazed tile basically followed a design created by a friend of the builder who scratched the design on a patch of dirt in the driveway of a nearby motel. The design was perfected for construction by architect J.C. Berry of Pampa, Texas representing the popular art-deco style of the 1920s & 1930s.
When the business opened, the local newspaper called it "the most up-to-date edifice of its kind on U.S. Highway 66 between Oklahoma City and Amarillo", with the café considered "the swankiest of the swank eating places" where “delicious food was courteously served”.
It finally closed for business in the late 1990s; was added to the National Historic Register in 1997 and a total restoration was completed in 2003-04. The building’s distinctive architecture was used as the model for Ramone’s Auto Body & Paint Shop in the 2006 Disney movie “CARS”.
It’s still one of the most interesting & eye-catching points of interest along what remains of old U.S. 66 and currently contains a museum, visitors’ center, gift shop, and the city’s Chamber of Commerce.
January 3, 2018 -- Crystal Bridge
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The Crystal Bridge Conservatory at Myriad Botanical Gardens in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. home to thousands of beautifully displayed tropical and desert plantings.
The Conservatory is 224 feet long, 70 feet in diameter, and is covered by 3,028 sections of translucent, double-layered acrylic panels. It contains 13,000 square feet of plant display area in two distinct climates: the Tropical Wet Zone; and the Tropical Dry Zone, which receives water from April through September, followed by drought from November through March.
January 1, 2019 -- The First in Texas
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Clearly from a much simpler time, this vintage 1928 gas service station, designed in “Cottage Fashion” and often called a “Doll House” was started in 1927 after Congress authorized a coast-to-coast highway called Route 66. Finished in 1928, the station operated under different owners and brands of products until the Interstate system came into being.
Company records show this station was the first Phillips Petroleum Company retail outlet in Texas and the first built outside Oklahoma at the time. Renovated in 1992 by local citizens under the auspices of the Old Route 66 Association of Texas, this now famous Route 66 Icon is the most photographed property all along Route 66. The site is owned and maintained by the Texas Route 66 Association.
Happy New year to all -- hope you all have an awesome 2019. Keep shooting!!!
