Looking Up….Seguin Downtown Facades That Deserve a Second Glance

Seguin is like a precious jewel hidden just off the busy interstate, rich with history, populated by fine folks who built beautiful buildings that deserve a second glance. I enjoy walking around the main streets downtown with my camera, and I am always looking for another way to capture the feel of the city I love. Without any extra unneeded comments, here are a few shots taken while trekking from Court, down North Austin, up Gonzalez, to North River, and back to Court Street.

Walking Down Gonzales Street on a Sunny Day

I had a few minutes to myself while downtown, yesterday, so I spent it walking around the old buildings. Since I had not been down Gonzales Street for a while, and the sun was in the right position for the buildings of interest, I started on Court Street, headed north on Austin Street for one block, and came to Gonzales Street. 

Gonzales is not a long street, and traffic can only go in one direction. It is a good street to walk, though. One of the main attractions is the closest thing to an old pub, The Oak Tavern, founded in 1935. It is the second oldest bar in Texas, according to their web page. 

The upstairs windows have some interesting decoration, don't you think?

Across the street, there is a very tiny alley that leads to the back entrances to some of the downtown businesses. You can see the front of the Oak from the alley. You can also see the red brick wall with the tiny rectangular window on the left.

I would love to know why it has tiny little windows with bars across them. This window looks like it should belong to an old-timer jail, I think. Anyone out there who knows the history, please send me an email. It would be great to find out some more about these windows.

On the corner of Gonzales and River Street, there is a set of black wrought iron stairs. The building is painted brick orange, so the color contrast is striking.  Looking up toward the sky reminds of the old 60's rock song, "Stairway to Heaven."

 Finally, I leave you with a ground-level view of River Street that I took while standing on the corner of Gonzales and River Streets.

1953 Chevy Pick Up Shined Up For the Parade

 Here's a little car eye-candy for those of you who love vintage automobiles. This is a 1953 Chevy Pick Up, a gorgeous shiny red dream of a pick up, one that must catch the eyes of anyone who spots it as it if the owner ever drives it around town. Wouldn't you love to cruise up to the local hamburger joint in this beauty?

I spotted it parked along College Street before the annual Guadalupe County Fair Parade, a couple of weeks ago.

I took a few pictures, including some where I bent over and held the camera at ground level. Wow, the front bumper is shiny enough to qualify as a mirror….

The interiors of cars made a generation ago are works of art. This one is a fine example of design and functionality merging and forming something classy.

Fall Flowers Sing Their Praises

Who needs diamonds 

when 

God's 

floral jewels 

are all around?

2013 Guadalupe County Fair Parade People

One of the nice things about living in a small, rural community is the feeling of kinship and frienliness felt during annual local events. In Guadalupe county, where I reside, one can feel the spirit of community pride during the county fair events.  The main event for me is the Friday parade, which kicks off the week end of fair events.

One of my goals as a photographer is to kind of emulate the style of Norman Rockwell through my camera lens. Of course, No one will ever be as good as Mr. Rockwell as he depicted Americana during some of it's most iconic times of the mid-twentieth century. However, I do strive to capture some of the same kind of universal moments for small town America. 

Here are a few of the people who caught my eye as I walked the staging area for the parade participants.

First of all, there is the Mighty Matador Band trombone section warming up behind  the old Mary B. Erskine school.

Oh my goodness. These young fellas look like they are going to wreak havoc as they get older, don't they? 

Here are some of the children wearing pink to honor breast cancer awareness. The boy in the middle is the grandson of a good friend of mine. He is very reserved and shy, so he didn't break I smile for me, but I took his picture anyway. 

Of course, local politicians have to have some representation in the parade. These people are promoting the Guadalupe County Republicans.

There is a mural on the building of the Seguin Auto Chopped and Diced Repair shop. It seems like the guy in the hot rod is checking out the lady standing next to her kids. I asked if I could take her picture and told her not to move. She was very obliging.

Now, these teens look like they have the "attitude" down pat.

These folks are from the First United Methodist Church, the same church which has the Pumpkin Patch that was featured in an earlier blog.

Volunteer Fire Departments show off their people and equipment in the parade.

And Texas parades should always have cowgirls.

Here's another Texas touch...beauty queens with their tiaras and cowboy boots.

These two fellas are from one of the local health gyms, and they came dressed as very healty zombies. The numbers that are supposed to be dripping in red blood are 78155, the zip code for Seguin.

I adore these little Minnie Mouse cowgirls with their polka dot tutus and girly boots.

This lady was not really this sad. I visited with her earlier and she was very perky and friendly. However, there is a long wait for the parade to get underway while the participants sit ready on their float, and I suspect she was just zoned out in moment of quiet reflection when I snapped her picture.

Now, this photo is a fine example of the serendipitious things that can get included in a frame, unbeknownst to the photographer. My main thought, here, was to photograph the three people sitting in the lawn chairs. It wasn't until I got home and looked at this frame on my big screen that I noticed the little girl in the pink dress at the end of the sidewalk. I love how the eye is drawn up the line of the sidewalk to the edge of the frame where she stands, ready to turn the corner, I think.

The were several people dressed up as Dr. Seuss characters. This young lady is supposed to be "Thing One" from The Cat in the Hat.

Here is another of the characters.

And a cutie sporting a cammo baseball hat covered with a pink bandana.

This man caught my eye as he chewed on the end of a stalk of straw. I asked him if I could take his picture and he started to pose. No....go back to leaning on the fence with the straw in your mouth. He did.

Finally, here's another friend of mine. She was part of the healthy zombie group. Even with white paint all over her face, she is beautiful. Love ya, Lana!

Downtown Seguin and Looking Up

 

Inside the Magnolia Hotel

I would like to say thank you to Erin Wallace and her husband for purchasing the derelict Magnolia Hotel. Several times, I have photographed the exterior during my walks around downtown because it has a charm even in it's disrepair. Now, thanks for the new owners, it is receiving some much needed TLC.

Today, Erin opened up three rooms of the hotel for a garage sale. I took my camera with me, and she graciously allowed me to take photos of those rooms.  It seems like quite a few folks are interested in the old hotel, and several photographers have taken a shot at capturing the character of the place. Every photographer has their own style and their own interests, so each set of photos has a different flavor.

Here are a few of my shots, reflecting some of my passions. For instance, I love old kitchens and I am crazy about old sinks. 

I also love the useful little built-ins you find in the older buildings. Look at the detail in this telephone nook.

Wow, look at this mannequin standing by herself in a closet alcove. Her blue eyes seemed to speak to me without a word being uttered. 

Here are doors and more doors.

The walls are not restored yet, so there is quite a bit of character in the patterns found in some of the rooms. These suitcases and the lamp were part of the garage sale goodies, and if I had more space, I might have grabbed them. Instead, I just took a photo of them.

Finally, here is a dramatic shot of one of the tall windows with the old blinds still in place.  I am so pleased that this old house is getting the attention it deserves after so many years of neglect.