LILEKS (James) :: The Bleat for Thursday.

I fought the day to a draw. Desultory bereftness characterized most of it pre-nap - it's Daughter's Birthday on Thursday, and that brought up an unexpected melange of thoughts and recollections. Nothing bad about her, of course, just . . . comparisons, deep memory, photographic flashes of parties at the house, and of course the origin of the Shell on the Ledge. With no pressing projects aside from setting up the Substack with links and embeds and art -

And it just struck me that I could've done something to make it better. I had been playing with this image, trying to make it better:

It was so bad I shuddered and thought I'll never make this work. If you didn't read the Substack, it was this guy:

You know him, right? You know that voice.

Should've run that crappy picture through Gemini.

PERFECT

I love the fact that the guy who voiced George Jetson was actually named George.

Anyway.

I had a lack of forward initiative, and without that I sink into the vat of unprocessed bile and empty resignation. So! Go downstairs to the gym and run and lift things. Did it. Better. Now! Get in the car with Birch and go see the Giant Swede and talk about paint chips for his house. Better. Next! Home. Supper. Walk. Back to work. Finishing Natalie's card now, and given her hatred of AI, it's a challenge. But it's fun.

The evening's walk photo:

I suppose I could ask AI what it is, but I've no way to know whether it would be accurate. Okay, I did, and it said it's an Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis). If you say so.

In the absence of substantial "insights" or information to impart, I will be giving you Pictures. Sometimes I wile away the empty hours by prowling through Architectural Records issues, finding interesting examples of the era, and colorizing them. The source material is washed out and small, and I'm gratified by what I can do to bring the ideas, the mood, the style of the era back to life. Today it's 1956.

Clicking on the picture takes you to a double-sized image, opening in a new window with no navigation - you'll have to dismiss the window.

No rugs? Thgose chairs would make a substantial sound when you sat down and the legs moved and you worried you'd made a mark on the Armonstrong.

The height of human civilization thus far:

Many of the sofas prized style over utility. For that matter, many of the chairs. Note the staircase, which is personal-injury-lawyer approved:

If a boulder suddenly appears in your swimming pool, I don't think you should be completely surprised:

A clubhouse corridor, or a hotel alcove - can't recall. I know the staff probably hated vacuuming this area. Something's always in the way.

Not everything I clip is an ad or an interior. There's the pictures of buildings proposed or under construction. I'd never seen a style like this:

Odessa, TX. I think they got cold feet. Can't find it anywhere.

This might be the design they finally used, although it was finished 3 years later. Classic mid-century mid-decade downtown modernism.

I like it.

The rest of downtown is a collection of meh and eh. Buildings like this may look old to modern eyes, but they brought dynamism and momentum to a smallish downtown. Look at us, just like New York! Not that they wanted to be New York.

Next door:

Swank. And that's about all downtown has to offer.

Say, I wonder if there are any motels around . . . sigh

The back of the postcard promises a pool to help you cool off after a long drive in the Texas heat.

Well, that's enough of downtowns and motels. Let's get on to the real business of Thursday, which is . . . oh right

A tad over eight thousand souls. Wikipedia: . "Named for physician and Republic of Texas Secretary of War Dr. George Washington Hill."

“In March 1869, a small child playing on a railroad turntable in town was injured on the turntable. The father sued the railway for damages, leading all the way up to the Supreme Court of the United States in the 1873 case Sioux City & Pacific Railroad Co. v. Stout." Stout won. I think he got $7500.

A proud sign, a modern bank: sights like these told people their town was on the . . . grow.

And it’s still doing what it was built to do.

On the other hand, you know downtown has been in a post-prosperity state for a while when the antique sign is faded.

I don’t know if it’s just a decoration, or the sign of a chain that built it. Safeway? Don’t think so, but possible.

Nice brickwork, whatever it was.

The ground floor appears to have been changed within a few decades of its construction. I don’t think it looked like that originally.

The sign isn’t as old as it looks. The design on "Main Street" is 80s, post-80s.

“Finance and Furniture.” Odd for someone in one business to go into the other, unless of course they were offering financing on your furniture.

Ah, well, we know what that is, don’t we?

Or rather was, before it was the later thing that is also not there now.

Ground-floor ruination, but at least the upper floor has glass.

Smith & Tomlinson:

History:

In 1910, George was elected to the office of Hill County Tax Collector and served in that capacity for several years. Later, he managed the farm implement division of Smith and Tomlinson, Co., Inc. He was a distinguished citizen, active in the community, and highly regarded by the farming community of Hill County.

He has a foundation named after him.

Herein lies a mystery.

Did it have a cupola, some sort of roof protuberance? Probably. A corner entrance? Probably. But at some point they grabbed the building by the shoulders and made it face forward. Didn’t exactly work well.

Best to just note the date of construction. When they do this, it looks like a lifespan that’s come to an end.

Post-war ground floor renovation, obviously, but . . .

What did it say? And what happened?

The Bank of America logo, right? But that’s a recent addition.

The Texas:

Cinematreasures:

Built in 1929, by the 1930’s it was operated by Robb & Rowley-United Inc. By 1957 it was operated by Rowley United Theatres Inc. It is currently under renovation by the new owners. The theater remains closed in 2020.

It went three rounds with Mike Tyson in his prime:

Hey now! Cleaned up and reglazed.

Next door, a sign of a company that’s no longer there.

Gas company, no doubt. I hope the blue flame is still lit. I suspect it is not.

A well-maintained old library is a heartening sign.

They avoided the temptation to move into something ugly and modern in the 70s.

That’s a little too much architecture for the location.

Bank, of course, but you can get that across by other means.

Second-Empire courthouse, 1890. The style looks spindly and fussy today, but it was the height of fashion once.

News:

On January 1, 1993, the courthouse was heavily damaged by an electrical fire. It was rebuilt, courtesy of donations from around the world and two concerts sponsored by Hill County native Willie Nelson.

Thanks, Willie! Good for you.

That does not look like an 1881 building.