I finally traveled out to Decatur Texas to photograph an old no longer open gas station joined by a Texas historical landmark and Whistle Stop Cafe closed on Saturdays. On this outing, Texas heat slays color of any sort leaving behind a carpet of singed leaves and decaying branches.
What fascinates me most about Decatur is how nature is front and center in most of its landmarks – the preserved gas station featuring, you guessed it, petrified wood, and buildings masked with fauna.
Downtown Decatur was a ghost town on Saturdays. Life here in North Texas revolves around the family unit on weekends. You will find yourself waiting around for quite some time for any ‘street vibe’ to materialize if you are a ‘street photographer.’ For me, however, this is the exact vibe I wanted to capture. As energy markets shift from one extreme, oil and gas, to that of another, alternatives, small towns like Decatur are in the process of reinventing themselves to bolster their economic prospects. I guarantee you that this city will look completely different ten years from now.
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