CHRISSY THE CAT

My dad and step-mother's cat has a silky black coat like no other cat I've ever seen before. It's soft and smooth and it's a pleasure to pet this little girl. My step-mother found her outside of the school where she used to be a librarian and brought her home.

Since then, a good 10 years ago, they've moved from a condo and into a house. Recently, Chrissy has been spending time out in the yard. She loves it so much it's almost all she wants to do now. Since she's older (less frisky) and somewhat overweight she can't climb the fence to get away so she simply lays in the yard taking a sunbath or else will go into the underbrush along the fence lines and survey her domain from there.

Occassionally, she'll give an effort to chase squirrels and birds but she never catches them. Since she's been an inside cat most of her life she probably wouldn't know what to do with the critters if she caught one trespassing on her yard.

It's a challenge photographing her since she's got that pure black coat. It's tricky to photograph since some of the shots I take of her you can't see anything but black and can't possibly define her legs or paws or even her face, except for those glowing yellow eyes.

In this shot I used my Nikon D700 and a SB-800 AF Speedlight and I aimed the light up and above Chrissy, with the light reflecting back off the bedroom's white wall. This coverage of light allowed for this shot to turn out the way it did, with all her features seeable, as her entire being was covered from above by light.

Fred's Texas Cafe Coldass Beer Coozie

Took off towards Aledo, Texas, a little 'burb directly west of Fort Worth on Interstate 20, after work and hit the Hardcore Texas Ranch House dirt drive and stopped to open the gate. Once inside the gate I stopped again and closed it. Used to be in Texas you'd keep your shit open. Not anymore. Not for a long time.

Anyway, I stopped in to see Hippy Steve and his better half, Beth. We sat outside on the second porch and me and Beth drank her homemade iced tea and Hip poured down Keystone Light's one after the other. I noticed the coozie he had his cold beers wrapped in.

"Cool," I said, looking at it.

So, of course, I pulled out my Nikon D700 and, with the Nikkor AF 50mm f1.8D fixed length lens attached, took a photograph of it.

Well, here it is.

Click on the photo if you want to see it bigger.

We talked about shit for a bit, drinking our drinks and smoking cigarettes and messing a little bit with Beth's cat, Shaboo, before I decided to hit the road back to Fort Worth, back to the hustle and bustle of a city, leaving the nice, quiet country atmosphere I'd rather be.

Here's a photo of Beth holding her cat, Shaboo, on her shoulder:

FORT WORTH ZOO PHOTOS

Click on any photo to see it in large size:

American Pink Flamingos
One Tusk Elephant

Lesser Flamingo

Gerenuks

Elephant eating bamboo sticks

Eagle Claws

White Bengal Tiger
Lion Cub
Lessur Kudu Antelope
Lesser Flamingo
Asian Brown Mountain Tortoise
American Pink Flamingo
Lessur Kudu Antelope & Abyssian Ground Hornbill
American Pink Flamingo
Silver Back Gorilla
Gerenuk
Lion Cub

FORT WORTH ZOO: Sleepy Kitty

When me and a buddy went to the Fort Worth Zoo there were TONS of freakin' kids out there, musta been 30 school buses in the parking lot. I was thinking I'd probably come down with the swine flu 'cause of those little bastards.

I told my fellow photog that I'd rather be on the other side with animals instead of being run past and knocked around by the human animals that were EVERYWHERE on our side.

But that's me. I love animals and hate humanity. Like my literary father figure, Charles Bukowski, said, "Humanity. You never had it from the beginning."

Go to the zoo sometime and you'll know what he means.

When we got to the lion area the big ol' boy, the King of the Jungle, was up on this rock sound asleep (click on photo for a closer look). Some kid said, "He needs to wake up." Which made me say, not too loud but loud enough for people within 10 feet of me to hear, "Yeah, if one of these parents would throw one of their fucking kids into the lion den that'd make him wake the fuck up."

Then, as I was zooming in and focusing my camera on the big ol' boy's face, I heard this little girl's voice.

She said, "You're a naughty man."

The truth, at last.

FORT WORTH ZOO: American Pink Flamingo

I thought this shot of an American Pink Flamingo ruled. I took it when I went to the Fort Worth Zoo, one of the world's best, with a fellow photographer from work and I ended up taking 214 shots in the hour and one half we were there. Had a great time taking shots of lions, a white tiger, elephants, birds, giraffes, antelope, rhinos, gorillas, etc.

I never seen a shot of a pink flamingo like this, have you? A straight on shot. Look at the intensity in those eyes (click on the photo to see the large size).

As far as photography goes I don't think of all the so-called rules, dude, because I don't care about the rules of photography. I don't think composition. I don't think about "the right time of day" to shoot a photograph. I don't "scout" out my "shoots" days in advance. I don't worry about that bull-friggin'-school taught-crap. All that schooling does is place limitations on your own creativity because you're thinking instead of doing.

The only thing I think about is this: I pick up my weapon of choice, the magnificent Nikon D700 full-frame digital SLR, aim it at whatever it is I want to take an image of and push down on the shutter button when I feel it's the right time. The "rule of thirds"? The "zoning" techniques and all that other technical mumbo gumbo photography nonsense I read all the time in photo mags? I have no use at all for any of it.

A guy at work said, like others at work have said when they've looked at the 8X10 photos I put up on my cubicle wall (hey, it's gallery space), "You have got a very good eye."

Yeah, I know I do. Why. I'm a very visual person. I was born with it. Charles Bukowski said we're "born into this" life without a choice but I do know that we're also born into this life with certain skills. Look, I'm not trying to brag here --- even though I am --- but it's a God given ability that I can shoot some terrific photos. I was blessed with a creative gene and I use that motherfucker the best I can. I take my art seriously.

Just as seriously as that pink flamingo is staring at me.

My Sister's Flower Garden

Was over at my sister's for something other than taking photos of her front yard flower garden but when I arrived I immediately got out my Nikon D700 and, with a Nikkor 50mm lens on it (it's the only one I had with me), I started firing off shots.

Of course, since I don't know jack about flowers but do like to take photos of them because I'm a big fan of colorful things, I don't know what kind of flower this is.

I know, I know. I should have asked my sister but I was too busy worrying about my camera settings to ask her what the names of them were.

But I've had two women, one from the Internet Tubes, and another I met recently, tell me they think it's a Rock Rose --- or in the Cistaceae family because there's nearly 200 different varieties.

Fort Worth Champion Spring Service

I was driving around with my dad and we found ourselves downtown and he asked me if I wanted to get a photo of Fort Worth Champion Spring Service's sign. I said, "Hell, yeah," and he proceeded to pull right up on the curb.

I got out and snapped this photo. It's an old as hell neon sign. The place has been there since 1928. Their sign features a leaf spring and a shock absorber.

I think it may well be out of business because it was closed, locked up and there wasn't a car in either of its two lots, one on each side of the building.

And it's website address comes up with one of those obnoxious pages you get when a website is long gone, the one with advertising replacing the original website.

SUNDOWN

This classic beer joint, unfortunately long gone with the revamping of West 7th Street into Dallas West, was located a few blocks west of Montgomery Plaza.

Me and my good buddy, William Bryan Massey III, head cook at Fred's Texas Cafe, used to go to it regularly in the late '90s to drink beer and play darts.

The place had six dart boards and people would be playing at 2-3 of them most of the time we were there. It was simply a good time place. The crowd was older folks who enjoyed each other's company and their drinks and the dart games.

I used a Sony Mavica FD-91 1-megapixel camera that stored images on a floppy disk, and a top notch model in its day (the late '90s), to take this photo and because the photo was so shitty upon looking at it again while going through really old photos from days long past I worked my ass off in enlarging and improving its look by using two image editors, Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 and Capture NX.

The Hardcore Texas Ranch House

Took this pic during one of the parties out at the Hardcore Texas ranch house in Aledo, Texas. It's called "hardcore" because the Texans who attend these get-togethers are hard to the core Texan sumbitches, fellas and gals who like to have a good time, good eats and good company.

William Bryan Massey III, poet laureate of Cowtown (click on link to watch a video of him reading his poem "White Pox") and head of kitchen at Fred's Texas Cafe, is out back walking around doing God knows what while I'm aiming my Nikon D50 for a shot of the back of the ranch house with a gorgeous Texas blue sky in the background.

This place is so old that water tank, used for the laundry room next to it, doesn't work and ain't got no water in it.

I call this shot the epitome of what white trash, redneck country livin' Texas is all about. It's a simple life with no noise from the busy city and no lights from that city either. Out at the ranch you can look up into the night sky and see the stars clear as day.

It's so quiet at night all you hear are the yowls of coyotes and the buzzin' of insects.

The HCTX ranch house is Texas, brutha, and nuthin' but Texas.

At our all night and into early morning parties we take bottles of Miller High Life or Schlitz out of ice and beer filled coolers, pop the tops off of them happy puppies and drink the refreshing alcoholic beverages down while sitting out on the porch smokin' cheap ass cigarettes and talkin' bullshit and listening to some turned up all the way rock 'n roll, whether it's Nirvana or Pantera.

Sometimes we get silly and grab the pump-action BB gun and take aim at shit out in the yard. Or toss horseshoes.

Vivian Courtney's Hollywood Restaurant

Once this restaurant's namesake, Vivian Courtney (click on her name to view a video tribute to her and photos of the inside of her restaurant), died in 2004 it was closed. The main building, which was as unique as the sign, was leveled (wished I'd taken a shot of it before it was bulldozed) but the place's unique sign remains to this day.

In fact, if you want the sign you can have it. John T. Roberts posted this @ Fort Worth Architecture, "If anyone is interested, the old neon Vivian Courtney's Restaurant sign is available to anyone who wishes to take it away. It is a two-sided exposed neon sign with the letter 'V' on top. It sits at the corner of Jacksboro Highway and Roberts Cut-Off Road @ 5915 Jacksboro Highway. I tried to find a home for it with two organizations but they did not have a place to put it. Now I'm offering it to anyone who thinks they can remove it and preserve it. The sign is about 28 feet tall and about 12 feet wide at the widest point."

Me and my friends ate their several times. It was a cool a place, with photos and posters from Old Hollywood --- we're talkin' John Wayne, Elvis Presley, Gone With The Wind, etc. --- hanging on the walls and in each booth there were equipped with miniture jukeboxes that really worked. You put in a quarter and got to choose three songs.

It had a buffet at lunch or you could order off the menu. The eats were simple good ol' white trash cuisine dishes.

A beautiful place that is now in the dustbin of history. Too bad. To me, the old stuff is, and still will be, the best stuff.

Yeah, as I get older I cherish the good ol' days more.

Yes, I'm sentimental but that comes with age and there's nothing wrong with getting older because you get smarter and realize that the modern stuff is just stuff that's not worth a damn (iPods & cell phones, for example) in my opinion.

Hankette The Kitten

My sister, seen here holding Hankette, told me she heard a strange crying sound while she was downstairs in her house when it was raining heavily in Fort Worth, Texas, one day. The sound, she said, was coming from my youngest nephew's bedroom on the second floor of their house. His bedroom windows were open and when they're opened they allow one to crawl onto the back roof. My sister said she went upstairs to investigate.

"I knew it was some kind of animal," she told me. She saw a clump of wet fur on the roof. "I thought it was a rat or maybe a squirrel."

Turns out it was an almost new born kitten.

"Maybe a bird or something got it from it's mother and dropped it there," she opined. "For such a tiny thing she sure was making a lot of noise."

I went over to her house and took pics of the little sweeit pie. I told her to call her Hankette, after Charles Bukowski, since she was found drenched, like a "wet rat in the rain", which paraphrases a line from the movie BARFLY, which Bukowski penned and Mickey Rourke starred in as Bukowski's alter ego, Henry Chinaski.

She couldn't keep Hankette since she already had two beagles and a husband allergic to cats and said she would give her to a rescue shelter or an interested party once she was big enough.

My sister was feeding Hankette with a special feeding bottle and formula for baby cats that she got at PetSmart. Despite my protests my sister said she didn't want to name it Hankette, preferring Yoda based on her little tiny droopy ears.

"I'm not gonna keep her so I don't want to name her anything."

See, if you name an animal you automatically become attached to it and that means it's yours.

Claps of applause go out to my sister for saving a life.

UPDATE: My sister found a couple who wanted a little kitten to spoil. They told her they would get another kitten so Hankette would have a half-brother or half-sister for companionship. "I wouldn't have given them Hankette if they had not made a positive impression on me."

WBM III Posing With Decaying Goat Head

The face William Bryan Massey III (click his name to see a video of him reading his poem "Buttwiper"), head cook at Fred's Texas Cafe, made in this photograph was caused by the incredible stink emanating from the still freshly decaying goat head he held up in his right hand.

"I had to shake all of the maggots out of the skull before gettin' ahold of it, " WBM III told me.

Yew wee!

The goat was drained of it's blood, after its throat was slit open, and the skin ripped off at the Hardcore Texas ranch house a week earlier by Fred's Texas Cafe's self-proclaimed "Outlaw Chef", Terry Chandler, for a special dish he had planned at his white trash eatery in Fort Worth. He used the goats innards for the feast.

So Bryan placed the goat head on a fence post and let the maggots and other bugs do their bidding in eating away its guts and skin. He said, as I was visiting the Hardcore Texas ranch house he shares with Hippy Steve in Aledo, "C'mon, let's get a pic of me with that goat head for a book cover I'm doing." Bryan self-publishes his own poetry books. They're wonderfully constructed and are one of a kind jewels, especially the words in them written by Bryan.

So we went out back and I took quite a few pics of him holding it before getting this winning shot.

He kept saying, as I took shot after shot, "God damn, this motherfucker STINKS to high heaven!"

Of course, this had me laughing my ass off and, fortunately for Bryan, I can take pics fast. I don't do fancy posing or lighting when I take pics of people because I do it the best way possible, all natural with no gimmicks, and so Bryan didn't have to suffer too long with that goat head next to his nose.

Hell, yeah, Texas style all the way, man.

LIFE Magazine's Lee Harvey Oswald "Photoshopped" Cover

While browsing the shelves at Forbidden Books in Dallas' Fair Park area way back in the late '90s I came across this original copy of the infamous Lee Harvey Oswald cover 'photo' on LIFE.

Since I'm a conspiracy theorist I believe this is the most famous Photoshop ever done (long before there was such a thing as Photoshop).

The shadows seemed mismatched for one thing. And the way he's leaning? Does that look natural to you? His head looks way too big for the body it was Photoshopped onto. And why would Oswald have this photo of him taken anyways, with the weapons he supposedly used? And who took it? Lots of questions with no answers.

Anyways, what's unique about this LIFE is that it's still got the original address sticker on it (click on the photo to get a better look at it). It's in perfect condition and is encased in a clear frame on my living room wall. I shot it throw the frame instead of taking it out since I'm lazy that way.

Oswald is buried at the Rose Hill Cemetary on Fort Worth's far east side and I have gone out there a couple of times trying to find his grave marker. No luck. Maybe one of these days I'll stumble upon it.

Here's a story about the owner of former Forbibben store:

www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/home/stories/042...

And here's his online gallery (his store closed long ago after the Dallas cops harassed him one too many times about the crazy shit he sold there):

www.hotweird.com/forbidden/forbiddengallery.html

And for those wondering whether Oswald was the "Lone Gunman" or part of a government conspiracy that labeled him a patsy just watch this video and decide for yourself. JFK, like 9/11, was an inside job.

Arby's (created in Texas)

When me and two ladies from work went to Thrift Town, on Jacksboro Highway in far west Fort Worth, Texas, I decided to take pictures of the surrounding area while they shopped. In the same shopping strip as the thrift store was an Arby's with one of its original huge neon signs, which looks like a tall ass cowboy hat. I wanted to document this bad ass sign so I took this picture of it. I love the colors, maroon, yellow and white. And look at the words "HURRY IN" followed by a notice that the place is "OPEN LATE". So why be in such a hurry if it's open late?

My second ex-wife told me she once worked at an Arby's in Erie, PA, her hometown, and said that the 'roast beef' was actually a HUMONGOUS and heavy piece of frozen meat formed into a round ball that they cut up in the back. So just think of that when you bite into one of their roast beef sandwiches. I know they're good but that shit arrives totally frozen and in a huge ball-like mass.

Yeah, I want to "hurry in" and eat that shit. NOT.

Anyways, here's an interesting tidbit I found on Wikipedia.org about Arby's:

"In the mid to late 19th century, a saloon was founded in West Texas by a retired Civil War Captain, Daniel J. Arby. The saloon gained much renown throughout the pan-handle for it's fine southern food and large gaming hall. After five years of outstanding popularity among Texans, Arby decided to expand his saloon to neighboring towns where the menu expanded and included his famed roast beef sandwich and family recipe barbecue sauce. After generations of the Arby family passed down the recipes and the saloon chain gained popularity in the early 20th century, the saloon was updated to restaurant status and included nightly entertainment (everything from magicians to minstrel shows). In the 1930s the family lost almost everything as the United States fell deeper into the Great Depression and was forced to sell their beloved restaurant chain. The Arby's name changed hands over the next 30 years, being owned at one point by the great Howard Hughes, until it was finally bought by brothers Forrest and Leroy Raffel in Ohio, who were determined to own a fast food franchise based on a food other than hamburgers. The brothers were insistant on changing the name to the preferred name of "Big Tex," but that name was already being used by an Akron businessman. They eventually decided on the Arby's moniker, based on R.B., the initials of the Raffel brothers [1] and also because they realized they could accomplish this without changing the original name, thus Arby's, LLC was born. (By coincidence, R.B. can also be short for roast beef, the company's main product, a point which was used when the backronym "America's Roast Beef, Yes Sir" was used as an advertising campaign in the 1980s.) They maintained the cowboy hat logo in reverence of the humble beginnings of the fast-food chain."

UPDATE: This sign is gone. So is the Arby's restaurant. It's boarded up. This is why I take photos around town of stuff like this knowing at some time or another it will be gone to make way for something new, er, worse. It's important to document with your camera your surroundings because one day a picture you took something of will no longer exist.

LOW DAILY EEK LY RATES

My buddy, Motel Todd, got his nickname, bestowed upon him by yours truly by living at the Caravan Inn for a year and a half, from March '98 to October '99.

This motel has been at its same location, at the corner of Jacksboro Highway and River Oaks Boulevard in Fort Worth, for as long as I can remember, and that's way back to the '60s.

In fact, my step-father told me a funny story, that I can't recall the particulars of at the moment, about him driving his car into the place's pool in the '60s.

Todd's room was a typical motel room with the usual amenities. I think he paid $520 a month for his one room, though he had to pay weekly and he didn't have a kitchen but used a microwave and cooler instead. He said the free coffee was in the lobby sitting on a little table in the corner.

Juvenile Shoe Store (Red Goose Saloon)

This extremely cool neon sign represented a shoe store from many, many moons ago. Now this place is called the Red Goose Saloon. It's in Fort Worth's noted Sundance Square downtown entertainment district.

The owners of this bar, thankfully, chose to keep the classic sign and called their place the Red Goose Saloon because there used to be actual Red Goose shoes sold at this place.

On the Fort Worth Architecture website it says, "This is a wonderful example of early 20th century architecture in Fort Worth. The original interior is intact. For many years it was the home of Solomon's Juvenile Shoe Store. The Red Goose Saloon occupies both floors of the early Fort Worth retail structure (1903). This is a prime location for a restaurant/bar."

Fort Worh Convention Center

I took this photo from the Park Central Hotel's 5th floor balcony on the day me and Hippy Steve went to the Tool concert.

This is the 'flying saucer' design that sits on top of the Fort Worth Convention Center where the show was. It's the FWCC's 12,000 seat arena, where the people sit inside of the 'UFO' while watching hockey, basketball, rock concerts and graduation ceremonies, etc.

A guy at work said that back in the day when the FWCC was built his architecture and design firm headed up a team of local A&Es in constructing the place. Around the UFO bowl of the place is a motif design (see it better by clicking on the photo) that was created by a man in his office. He said the guy never explained to anyone why he designed the motif or what it meant or meant to him. It's a beautiful, simple design that is really cool looking. But the secret of it's meaning, motivation is lost since the dude who created it is long dead.

A UFO with a mystery. What else is new?

Oh, the FWCC is also where Fort Worth's infamous Hell's Half Acre was located. This once outrageously rowdy (think HBO's brilliant Deadwood) spot in Cowtown is where the famous photo of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and their Wild Bunch gang was taken, the photo the authorities used to bring the outlaws down since they knew what all of them looked like.

Hell's Half Acre was full of saloons, gambling spots and whorehouses and Butch fancied one, her name being Etta Place.

She's the woman who fled with him and the Sundance Kid south to Bolivia where they met their demise.

OL' SOUTH PANCAKE HOUSE

This white trash soul food eating place makes the dreamiest pancakes you'll ever put into your mouth.

Buttery, sugary, greasy homemade goodness.

For more info on this long-time Fort Worth institution, located at the intersection of South University Drive and Interstate 30 in Fort Worth, visit Fort Worth Culture.

The place has changed ownership, from reading reviews online, and people now say the old staff, little old ladies who worked hard, are now all gone and the food sucks. That is too bad. It was a great place to congregate. Every class of folk went there. Reading these bad reviews of it now makes me sad but that's life, with everything changing for the worst, as always.

Fair well, Ol' South, you were an oldie but a goodie but, apparently, not anymore.

YELLOWJACKET NEST

I was out at the Hardcore Texas ranch house in Aledo, Texas one summer afternoon visiting my buddies Hippy Steve and William Bryan Massey III, head of kitchen operations at Fred's Texas Cafe, and spotted this yellow jacket nest up in one corner of the back porch.

So I got good and close and pointed my Nikon D80 up at it and took some shots.

As I was shooting, the yellowjacket on top of the nest turned my way and hunched down and fiercely stared at me, ready to attack my intrusion. I just said, "Hold on, buddy, I'll be finished in a sec."

Can you see the progress of the baby yellowjackets in the cocoons? See the one cocoon with the black head all shiny and seemingly ready to take flight? If not, click on the photo to get a closer look.

Man, insects are cool.

These yellowjackets look fierce as all get out and they are. Click for more about the yellowjacket flying badasses.

THE RANCH

This neon sign, which is pretty f-ing cool lookin', is for The Ranch country radio station that resides inside The Jett Building in downtown Fort Worth's ritzy tourist trap, Sundance Square.

I'm not a fan of modern day country (it's just rock 'n roll with a twang) but I am a fan of cool signs and this sign qualifies as cool.

From the dressed up cowboy roping the word "ranch" to the Texas state flag design below that to the rustic old fence that the word "ranch" is branded on.

All around cool and colorful.

If you enjoy country music check out The Ranch.

FRED'S TEXAS CAFE: Schooner Of Cold Ass Beer

Went over to Fred's Texas Cafe, for a Fred Burger w/cheese and drank down a 16 .oz "cold ass" schooner of Miller High Life.

Yummy.

Of course, took this shot of what I was about to consume beforehand.

Fort Worth Chisholm Trail 3D Mural

This mural is painted on a building in downtown Fort Worth's Sundance Square entertainment district.

Got this photo (click on it to see it full size so you can appreciate it's grandeur) of it after eating lunch at the Cajun restaurant Razzoo's.

Here's a paragraph about the mural from Michael Schuman

"The impressive and then a link for info on this really cool painting:trompe l'oeil ("fool the eye") mural, painted by Richard Haas, covers an outside wall of the Jett Building in Sundance Square downtown. It depicts two cowboys on horseback watching over a cattle roundup and it appears that the longhorns are charging right off the building."

www.fortworth.com/01visitors/0101westernher/010103fwhisto...

MONTGOMERY STREET CAFE: Chocolate Cake

Ate lunch at Montgomery Street Cafe, located at 2000 Montgomery Street on Fort Worth's near west side (a couple of blocks north of the Dairy Queen), with my sister and dad and they ordered dessert after eating. Both got a piece of chocolate cake.

Yummy. Delicious. Outstanding.

That's what they said not me because I forgot to ask for a bite because I was busy taking photos. Dang!

ZIPPO LIGHTER FROM VIETNAM WAR

My brother-in-law owns this Zippo lighter. I don't know the story behind it --- he wasn't in 'Nam --- but I think the lighter tells the story all by itself, at least the attitude of the chopper pilot who owned it.

CU CHI

(Click on the photo to see it large.)

FRED BURGER WITH CHEESE #2

Three ladies from work took me out to lunch and I got to choose the eatery.

I picked my favorite burger/ice cold beer dive, Fred's Texas Cafe, where my buddy, William Bryan Massey III, is the joint's head of kitchen operations and head cook.

I got the No. 1 burger in town, the Fred Burger w/cheese, which won the FW WEEKLY's 2007 Reader's Choice award for best burger.

Before devouring the mouth-watering and luscious-tasting all-American meal, I took out my travel camera, a Nikon D50 carrying a Nikkor 18-135mm AF zoom lens, and snapped this shot.

Now that you're mouths are watering I suggest you eat something immediately to satisfy your up-in-arms palette.

FRED'S TEXAS CAFE

This is Fred Texas Cafe's neon sign. It's located above the bar and visible as soon as you enter the best burger/ice cold beer dive in the city of Fort Worth.

It's Fred Burger w/cheese was voted tops by readers of Cowtown's only independent weekly rag, the FW WEEKLY, in its 2007 Best Of Awards.

It's atmosphere is unique, as you go inside to find yourself walking back into a simpler time, an almost diner-like feel, with booths and stools at the bar.

The high class go there to feel like low class and the low class go there to feel right at home. The mixture of the customers can't be found anywhere else. The wait staff is always hustling and you can actually see the cooks fixing your food. It's an active place, people munching down on their juicy homecooked meals, people laughing, having a good time, drinking beer from huge schooners that are ice cold.

Just a fun place to be.

M. L. LEDDY'S: Hand Made Boots

M.L. Leddy's is world famous for producing hand made high quality western wear, including boots, belts, buckles, saddles, chaps, etc. Basically, if you want to become a cowboy go to Leddy's and you can get yourself set up right.

While perusing through their store in Fort Worth's historic Stock Yards, I picked up a pair of ostrich skin boots and looked at the price tag: $2,075!

"Wooooo!" I thought. "Hot damn tamales!"

I put them suckers back down and real nicely too 'cause I didn't want to damage merchandise that cost that much.

They also had a pair of jeans on sale for 75% off and they still cost --- get ready for this --- $375!!

So what I did get, and it was free, by God, was this photograph of their bad ass boot-shaped neon sign.

NEW ISIS THEATER

The marquee on this ancient one-screen movie theater has been promising a "new" New Isis Theater for going on years and years now. One website calls the New Isis Theater "decrepit" and mentions its "long stalled promise of a new New Isis Theater." Another website writes, "The New Isis Theater was originally built in 1913 in the days of silent movies. It was damaged by fire in 1935 and rebuilt again in 1936 when it was renamed ‘The New Isis Theater’. During 1988 it was closed down and put up for sale."

The theater is located on Main Street in Fort Worth's historic Stock Yards.

In an e-mail from Robert Adams, from June 7th, 2007, who is apparently an owner or co-owner of the new New Isis Theater, states, "The New Isis Theater is currently in the architectural phase of renovation. This will probably take 3-4 months and the renovation approximately 14-16 months. Hopefully we can achieve a look which will remove us an expertly crafted list of Stock Yards buildings in need of repair. It would be very helpful in this process by informing your web viewers that the original seats from the inside of the theater are available for those who would like to purchase a piece of history. These will need to be replaced because they are only 16 1/2 inches wide compared to modern theater seats which are 21 inches in width, a testament to the decline of our culinary tastes over the last 70+ years."

Well, I guess that sums it all up.

Oh, I used Paint Shop Pro X2 to liven up the old beat up theater after first processing the raw file in Capture NX.

J & J's Hideaway

I was enjoying a relaxing time at this one-of-a-kind bar, which has since moved due to Fort Worth's race to become Dallas West along the West 7th Street corridor, when I captured my buddy, William Bryan Massey III, head of kitchen operations at Fred's Texas Cafe, in this classic barfly repose.

It's a great tragedy that J&J's Hideaway will be lost at its current location. It will relocate to University Drive near where the Italian restaurant Sardine's is.

But J&J's Hideaway will never be the same as it was, tucked away under tall trees and a safe distance from the rustle and bustle of the near West Side.

It's classic '70s decor had me tell Bryan that "this is a bar straight out of that old '70s t.v. show THE ROCKFORD FILES."

He answered, "God damn, you're right."

1950s FORD EDSEL

TIME named this car one of the worst made automobiles of all time. The Edsel was named after Henry Ford's son.

As me and my friend, Motel Todd, drove up and down East Belknap looking for shit to take photos of I saw this Edsel sitting in a car lot that was packed full of old as dirt rust bucket American cars.

The lot belongs to Rucker Performance. Rucker Performance, as you'll see on their website, takes these forgotten cars and turns them into cool ass hot rods or sells them to interested parties.

They also design and build badass motorcycles.