Cadillac Ranch, Texas (via Google Lat Long: Imagery Update: Week of May 14th)
I’ve long been a fan of artist Jean Shin; she’s turned discarded objects into really cool artwork. (We’ve featured some of her work on the Unconsumption Tumblr.) Here, I’m standing in front of one of her broken umbrella sculptures, in a private collection in Houston. (Taken with Instagram at Houston, Texas)
Same building: different side *and* different ghost sign. The previous photo shows the back of the building, which most people probably don’t see. If you missed it, check it out — it’s pretty awesome. (Taken with instagram in Corsicana, Texas)
I like it here. (Taken with Instagram at Smith General Store in downtown Corsicana, Texas)
The vintage Cre Mel sign, next door to Theo’s Drive-In, in Grand Prairie, Texas. (Taken with Instagram at Theo’s Drive In)
Two ghost signs on the same building. Bonus! (Taken with Instagram at Bishop Arts District in Dallas, Texas)
![Via unconsumption:
The Houston artistic team of Dan Havel and Dean Ruck is at it again. (Previous mentions here and here.) Thanks to their handiwork, another old bungalow slated for demolition is being transformed into architectural artwork.
The public art project, which Havel and Ruck designed to function as a stage, is a temporary centerpiece in a new pocket park in Houston’s Fifth Ward, a neighborhood developed in the late 1800s. The Fifth Ward went into decline in the 1970s; in recent years, the area’s been undergoing redevelopment and revitalization. [Side note: Former residents include Congresswoman Barbara Jordan and musician Arnett Cobb.]
Photo above via Fifth Ward Jam - Houston Arts Alliance.
Pre-deconstruction photo below (by Havel Ruck Projects) via Swamplot.com.
For additional photos and information, see this Swamplot post.
Houston!](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lsanh6vswJ1qzv12bo1_500.jpg)
Via unconsumption:
The Houston artistic team of Dan Havel and Dean Ruck is at it again. (Previous mentions here and here.) Thanks to their handiwork, another old bungalow slated for demolition is being transformed into architectural artwork.
The public art project, which Havel and Ruck designed to function as a stage, is a temporary centerpiece in a new pocket park in Houston’s Fifth Ward, a neighborhood developed in the late 1800s. The Fifth Ward went into decline in the 1970s; in recent years, the area’s been undergoing redevelopment and revitalization. [Side note: Former residents include Congresswoman Barbara Jordan and musician Arnett Cobb.]
Photo above via Fifth Ward Jam - Houston Arts Alliance.
Pre-deconstruction photo below (by Havel Ruck Projects) via Swamplot.com.
For additional photos and information, see this Swamplot post.
Houston!
Via lizlambert:
Wild turkeys causing traffic delay this afternoon in Marfa.
"100 Songs That Messed with Texas Music."
Via nprfreshair:
While by no means exhaustive, you’d be hard pressed to hear a more eclectic sampler of the stuff that makes Texas music great.
Via unconsumption:
Texas to get the first packaging-free grocery store in the U.S.
In.gredients, which is slated to open this fall in Austin, will sell loose and bulk items, including “local, organic meats, dairy, baking goods, cooking oils, spices, grains, seasonal produce — the whole spectrum.” Customers will need to bring reusable containers from home (or use the store’s compostable containers), and weigh them before filling with the products they want.
In.gredients’ package-free, zero-waste retail concept, similar to that of Unpackaged in London, is a great business model. The benefits of precycling — avoiding wasteful packaging — and buying only the amounts you need of locally sourced products, creating less landfill and saving money in the process, are many.
If you have friends in Austin, encourage them to support in.gredients. And let’s hope in.gredients will expand to other markets. [Hi, Houston next, please.]
No matter where you live, check it out: You can follow the company’s progress here (blog and Web site), here (Facebook), and here (Twitter).
I love this vintage sign. The building — the old drug store — was shuttered several years ago. If you look through the building’s front windows, you can see merchandise inside, scattered on shelves, countertops, and atop the soda fountain. Did the former occupant leave in a hurry, and never return? A mystery.
(Taken with Instagram at 2119 Washington Avenue, in Houston)
This vacant industrial building has not only a #ghostsign on it, but a yellow coat hanging from one of its windows. #awesome (Taken with instagram)
Subsequent note: In recent years, at least one club has operated out of the building (which could help explain the presence of the coat!). The warehouse is located at 2001 Commerce Street — within shouting distance of Minute Maid Park — east of downtown Houston.
Thanks to a Google search, I now know that Graybar Electric Company was formerly housed in the building. The company’s old logos jibe with the ghost sign’s faded paint. See history.graybar.com/1942-1964.php and history.graybar.com.
Via lizlambert:
A barbecue pit is mounted to the brush guard on the front of this guy’s pickup. #onlyintexas
