The Artful Engineer

I am inordinately fond of road trips, particularly ones that happen on two-lane roads. They are such a great way to experience the country. This is especially true as a photographer because you have the freedom to pull over for interesting subjects. The elaborate water tower above was actually along Interstate 65, but close enough to where I was stopping for gas that I could get this picture of it. There are thousands of water towers across the United States, and this is one of the nicest ones I have seen. I appreciate the fact that a small community would go to the trouble to make something mundane into something special. Nicely done, Clanton.

Once I left the interstate on my way from Huntsville down to Fort Walton Beach, Florida, I passed through a historic downtown portion of Greenville, Alabama. It was impossible to miss this gem:

There is a little bit of information available about the Ritz Theatre online. In short, the beautiful art deco theatre opened in 1935, was a complete mess by 1980, was lovingly restored by 1990, and is in use for events today. From the article online, I thought the interesting challenge they faced was attempting to restore the original colorful decor when they only had black and white photographs of the original interior. Kudos to Greenville, too.

On the outskirts of Greenville, I passed this old radio station, set back from the road by a wide lawn. Of course, I had to stop.

Behind the building was a the rustiest transmission tower imaginable, but I didn’t end up with any worthwhile images of it. The mesh of this old satellite dish in front, however, was completely encrusted in lichen. I am always fascinated by lichen, especially in those rare instances when I find it on something man-made.

Another small town I passed through was Luverne. I didn’t happen to notice anything renovated there, but there were some buildings that had fallen on hard times, like this service station. I particularly like the arrow painted on the road in front:

As abandoned storefronts go, this next one is a good one. The main feature is the fabric awning, but the paint peeling off the brick and the badly faded red trim are a solid supporting cast. It also seems fitting that the Lowe’s insulation in the window is upside down. When I see a building like this, I wonder what it looked like when it was new, and what hopes the shop-owner had on opening day. But that was long ago and few will remember now.

So many small towns across the country are only a faint echo of what they once were. But others still strive for a future. It’s an interesting contrast between melancholia and hopefulness. When you drive into an unfamiliar small town, you can’t be sure which you’ll find. As a photographer, I just try to notice things that show one or the other.