Lisa -Trash the Dress – Rock the Frock by Any Name, it’s Gorgeous Fun.

There’s this gorgeous young woman who officially joined our family nearly a year and a half ago — and there’s also this amazingly scrumptious dress that’s been hanging in our front hall closet ever since the day she and my first son returned from their honeymoon.

I’ve been waiting and waiting for her to get back into the dress and go play with me and my camera. The old adage about the shoemakers children having no shoes definitely carries over to photographers as well.  Our own kids are the last ones to get booked on our portrait schedules. It finally fell together not too long ago when we had a trip planned with just a little extra time to kill.

Lisa earned her degree in nutrition from The University of Houston, and she is very good at creating oh-s0-yummy and still super-healthy goodies in her own little kitchen.  That’s why Sweetpea’s Bakery provided a perfect first stop for us. Unfortunately, there was no cupcake sampling for us that day because the shop was going out of business. Everything was still adorably decorated, though, and we had private access.  Definitely a lucky coup for us.

  It’s great to have inside connections, and I’m thrilled that we got to shoot here before this place went away. BUT… an Italian Cream Cupcake sure would have tasted good about now.  RATZ!

Oh how I love working in  back alleys…. small towns, urban centers, doesn’t matter… give me some good grunge, and maybe a little street art… HEAVEN!

 Moving garbage cans out of the way gets a little bit nasty, but I know to carry wipes and hand sanitizer.

Probably the highlight of our session  for me was spending a little time at “The Station.”

We drove over to an old empty Mobile Filling Station that my grandfather owned and operated until the mid 1970’s when he retired.  It wasn’t just an ordinary filling station either.  This station had a  bar that served up ice cold longneck bottles of beer, and for the kids, every flavor of sodie pop you can name… and ice cream sandwiches. Mmmmmm!

I think that about a half dozen local retirees used to practically rotate shifts, sitting on the bar stools, drinking and smoking at the station.  I never knew their names, but can still see their faces in my mind’s eye.   A liquor store was attached, but with a separate entrance on one side of the building.  On the other side, a corrugated tin drive- in awning, or car-shade as we called it, allowed people to sit in the shade in their cars, drinking cokes or beer and eating snacks as long as they pleased.    When the customers wanted to place an order or were done and ready to leave  they could honk the horn and Pawpaw or one of his employees would come out side, take orders, and deliver treats on a window-mount tray.

I ran around this building with my brothers and cousins, barefooted and out of control for years…

My my how times have changed. The gas pumps are gone.  I do NOT get out of the car without shoes at a filling station or anywhere!

The  doors are locked, but the station building still stands, just a little more worn from the years that have passed.

I am so glad that I got to share this little bit of family history with our newest family member. 

 

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