Screaming Dirt: A Spark Inside One Square Mile. Part 2 of 2
Tina Turner still inspires as reflected in these manually focused old-school images.
…so as I looked and casually stepped around guard dog poo, I saw this. Another old Ford truck.
My new friend explained that they had replaced engine components. There was still some work to be done but it was shaping up nicely.
The cool thing was the folks at B&E Garage were busy and could easily have said no. There were multiple customers present who were getting work done - inspections, oil changes, etc. When I waited to approach the guy in charge, I spoke with a lady who told me how she began life working at a shop where she machine processed 35mm film. She still had several of her cameras, one of them was a Nikon underwater camera. She laughed, “I think it’s a PixPro but that sucker takes great shots! Developing film. I think that was my favorite job.”
She smiled at the memory and I realized this was the second person within 100 yards who lovingly reminisced over photography! Ah, one square mile…
The significance of this was not lost on me. I counted myself underpaid but lucky. Perhaps that’s why I walked a block to a Mexican bakery and then returned with a bag of pineapple empanadas for the employees at B&E Garage. Or perhaps it was a simple thank you.
This part of Spring Branch is a largely working class neighborhood. This particular square mile is somewhat framed by or featuring Kempwood, Hammerly, Campbell, Blalock and Hollister. There’s a Mexican restaurant or bakery or a Coca-Cola truck every ten feet.
The homes are largely affordable. There are some nice and not so nice apartments, and some new developments (just outside this square mile) that help explain why Houston has been one of the nation’s most affordable big cities.
In one square mile, there's more to see than we can truly perceive and appreciate. Doesn't matter who or where you are.
I remember my grandmother driving her old Chevy into town. She was country tough and full of love and smiles. I swear I can remember running my fingers over the letters in the Chevrolet logo.
I can also remember riding a big kid’s bike (I was most likely 5 years old) and hitting a parked car. I look at that old Biscayne now and wonder what child once leaned against this particular vehicle. Or perhaps more likely, what teen once placed buttocks against the vehicle as her teen crush kissed her passionately on the lips? What dreams.
A special thanks to Vel and his employees at B&E Garage at 2025 Campbell. And thanks to you for reading!
Images taken with a Fujifilm GFX100S and the Mitakon 65 1.4 lens.
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