Wayside Motel

Hempstead, Texas

A random street in Baird

I went through Baird, Texas, primarily because the tiny town was the county seat, and, therefore, has a county courthouse. The 1929, Classical Revival building wasn't all that unique, but the sky was a deep blue, and the clouds were white and billowy. So I think the pictures came out really well, despite the plainness of the courthouse.



But on a complete whim, I took a slight deviation from my planned route and made a sudden, left-hand turn onto what turned out to be Baird's main street. I was rewarded handsomely almost immediately with this stunning, repainted Bull Durham ad. These are usually "ghosts" when I find them.





The repainted Coca-Cola sign must be from 1923-1925, as variations of the "Refresh Yourself" slogan were being used during those years.



A ghostly Dr. Pepper sign.


At the end of the street was the reason for all of the ads, the 1911 circa Texas Pacific Railroad Depot.

Cisco, Texas, was a friend of mine

"Here's That Rainy Day"

A little slice of musical heaven courtesy of Wes Montgomery. From his 1965 Bumpin' album, "Here's That Rainy Day":


And a cool live version:

Big Spring (or is it "Big Sprang"?)*

*I prefer the twangy version.

This is a ghost sign on the back of the Ritz Theatre in Big Spring. It says: "West Texas' Finest Theatre."

"I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me"

Tom Neal and Ann Savage
First appearing during a 1925 Broadway show, the Jimmy McHugh song "I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me" was featured prominently in the 1945 film noir classic Detour. Being such an integral part of the plot and soundtrack, I thought perhaps it had been introduced in the film. I was wrong.

Stuff I took pictures of in Eastland

"P.S. I Love You" (Mad Men moment #4)

I far prefer Frank Sinatra's version of the Gordon Jenkins (notes)/Johnny Mercer (words) classic, as recorded for his relatively obscure (but great) Close to You album. But Bobby Vinton did a really heart-felt, plaintive take on it.

"A Short History of America"

I just re-watched the documentary Crumb about artist Robert Crumb for the first time in about seventeen years. It has this great segment depicting his brilliant "A Short History of America" panels:

Real sugar in Sweetwater

I was going to make a diabetes joke, but opted for a milder post title...

Abilene, Abilene - prettiest town I've ever seen

Today's history lesson, chitlins, is about Abilene, Texas. Now, first I must admit that every single time I saw the word Abilene, whether it was on a city limits sign or anywhere else, I was compelled forced to loudly belt out George Hamilton IV's 1963 single "Abilene" with a desperate, whimpering cry in my voice. After having been there, I could see why someone would write a song about Abilene, Abilene....

"There's a Small Hotel"

from the "There's a Small Hotel" sequence of Pal Joey

Queen Victoria

John J. Welder Home carriage stone and gate post

Mad Men moment #3

In the fifth episode of the third season of Mad Men, "The Fog," Betty Draper gives birth to the Draper's third child. She is also dealing with the death of her father, which occurred in the previous episode. While in the hospital, Betty has a drug-induced delivery room hallucination, in which, among other things, she converses with her deceased parent.

Grand Dame Edna

Right on Main Street in Edna, Texas, the 1950 Edna Theatre:

5 Least Favorite Beatle Songs

I just recently purchased a new copy of Nicholas Schaffner's excellent, out-of-print, The Beatles Forever. Back in 1981 when I first came across it, the book was (for all practical purposes) my introduction to The Beatles. I read every word and studied every one of the hundreds of photos included, several times. Looking at it today brings back a lot of memories. And because it came out in 1978, the book ends on a positive note.

King Cole Trio's "Route 66"

To commemorate a year since my Route 66 road trip of a year ago (and ponder the possibility of a return to uncharted portions), Nat "King" Cole (and Trio) would like to play their version of Bobby Troup's musical tribute to the Mother Road. This is from around 1946:

I sort of gorged myself on Cuero...

...and for that, I must apologize, because there's a whole lot of great stuff(!) I got for the hour and a half or so I was there. If you are one of those EBiN readers who thinks "meh" or "wtf?" whenever you see the latest post is one of those 100-year-old-houses-ghost-signs-and-vintage-neon-signs-kind-of-posts, you may want to move along. Sorry, there's nothing to see here this go around. The rest of you should prepare to receive a face full of Cuero.

Playing The Little Sparrow

Forget about Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash or Kurt Russell as Elvis. Never you mind Sissy Spaceck as Loretta Lynn or even Diana Ross as Billie Holiday. Disregard Val Kilmer's complete and utter embodiment of Jim Morrison. Stand there, pointing, laughing hysterically at George Hamilton as Hank Williams. No no, put all which has come before well out of your head, for there is a new master of the art of portraying on film a person who has actually at some point existed. And that person's name is Master Mistress Marion Cotillard.

"Seems Like Old Times"

As I am driving around the beautifully, authentically reproduced Los Angeles circa 1947 of L.A. Noire, my current favorite tune to come on the radio is Vaughn Monroe and Orchestra's "Seems Like Old Times." It's swingin', yet melancholy (and slightly ominous), and fits perfectly with the overall tone and story of the game: