Posts tagged ‘Alpine’
Alpine Fightin’ Bucks Baseball – Another Perspective
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… and Again!!
Alpine Fightin’ Bucks Baseball
😉
Hot Corner Defense!! Starting Pitching
Eye Still and Always On the Ball!!
Alpine Fightin’ Bucks Baseball …
Winners!!
Stucco Over Adobe ~ Juan Carradsco
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The camera and lens allows for many conversations that might not happen otherwise.
Our travels end up being chronicled by the images, the people and the conversations.
Work being done at the Marathon (TX) Motel and RV Park on the adobe walls of the court yard: a quality place with quality people.
Adobe settles; stucco cracks and needs repair.
Taping and and prepping of the work area completed, metal screen or lath gets applied where necessary. Appropriately mixed stucco of the right consistency is applied by trowel. A blending and roughening toll is used to do exactly that on the drying stucco surface. When appropriately dried a coloring agent is applied. Later a blending agent and water are used to achieve color consistency through out the job.
Juan Carradsco, Alpine, Texas Tradesman
Spradley Hats ~ Jim Spradley ~ Alpine, Texas
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While knocking around on the Skinnie Winnie blog, I mentioned that we would be in Alpine, Texas for this year’s Texas Cowboy Poetry Gathering. A fellow Skinnie Winnie owner, in Houston for a rodeo, strongly suggested that I look up Jim Spradley of Spradley Hats in Alpine, Texas and get him to build me a custom fit cowboy hat. As someone that does not wear a hat well I opted to look up Jim for a photo op of his art and craft: the building of Stetson-style cowboy hats.
The cowboy hat has had a relatively short history, yet has become an instantly recognizable iconic piece of functional headgear.
Well before sunrise on a windy morning in the midst of the calving season in the ranch lands of the Chihuahuan desert of west Texas, I met Jim at his workshop-office just outside of Alpine. A welcoming and engaging individual, it did not take long to strike up a budding friendship. He did his work and I did my photography; asking questions when need be. The building of a hat is an involved mutli-step process. Jim’s work area was divided in half with a nicely appointed office and fitting area in between what seemed to be the cutting, pressing, blocking and ironing room and a finish/detail room. Jim had some 36 or so dark (brown or black) beaver felt cowboy hats going. He works in color lots: darks and lights. Each hat is built from a single piece of beaver felt. Today the hat brims were measured (twice) and cut according to customer specs found on meticulously kept order forms and records. The brim edges were sanded and the brims’ upper and undersides were sanded as well.
As would be expected of the tradesman/craftsman Jim’s tools are a mix of handcrafted wooden tools, art forms in and of themselves. Singer sewing machines, relics according to the independent manuals, of various styles, purpose and vintage, some on the original frame and legs, others on modern updated steel work bench supports were found throughout. Heating, blocking, stretching and ironing tools large and small abounded. The images represent only a couple of steps in the ‘hat building’ process. It was obvious from the variety of tools and work stations in the separate work areas that this is a process that involves lots of separate and distinct skills that when merged produce a timeless western hat.
Breakfast at Magoo’s allowed for the sharing of philosophies on faith, family, young people, work and when not to work.
We will return to Alpine and look Jim Spradley up come next year’s travels.
Thank you Jim.
~
Similar But Different ‘Folks At Their Work‘ Visual Essays Can Be Found At the Following Links
Marathon, Texas – Burnt Biscuit Bakery : Don Knows Baking!
Lejeune’s Sauage Kitchen ~ Eunice, Louisiana
Delacroix Island Blue Crab Fishery
2013 Texas Cowboy Poetry Gathering
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2013 Texas Cowboy Poetry Gathering
Alpine, Brewster County, Texas
Early On Event Images ~ Marshall Auditorium ~ Sul Ross State University
Allan Chapman ~ Ably Accompanied by the Ever-Present Rodeo Kate
Poet, Storyteller, MC and Heritage Award Winner ~ Doris Daley
Randy Huston & Daughter Hannah Huston ~ Accompanied by Jim Jones, Rodeo Kate & Wash Tub Jerry
This Threesome Backing Band Seemed to be Every Where during the Gathering, Individually or Collectively
Poet-Storyteller Ken Cook
Doug Figgs ~ Backed Up by Jim Jones
Great Event ~ Talented Folk ~ Nice Facilities ~ Pleasant Town
Chuck Wagon
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Chuck Wagon Breakfast
2013 Texas Cowboy Poetry Gathering
Town of Alpine, Brewster County, Texas
Early Mornin’ Smiles
Scramblin’ the Eggs
Dutch Ovens
Good Food & Good Company on a Crisp West Texas Winter Morning
The Coffee Was So Stiff It Made Itself Known All Morning
😉
Tendin’ the Biscuits
Alpine, TX 79831 (Year Two)
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Second year in a row.
This Time Around : Texas Cowboy Poetry Gathering Weekend
Kokernot Field ~ Home of Baseball and a Rich Baseball Heritage in Alpine
Street Art & Murals Abound
Original Brewster County Court House