Jumpin' Friday:: Marfa, Fort Davis, and Balmorhea, TX

Welcome to Jumpin' Friday. For those of you not in the know, here is a pretty loose description of what I call a jumpy:

A librarian (me) + a road trip + a library + a camera = a jumpy, or a picture in mid-jump

This road trip was for a destination wedding, and the following pictures show the trip back to San Antonio from Marfa, Texas. Alas, this was on a Sunday so all the libraries we came across were closed.

a) Marfa Public Library
Marfa, TX (06.07.09)

I know, you don't see a library sign here. I swear to you that this is the town library. I know that the locals (there are a little over 2,000 of them) know that this is the library, but I still think there should be more than just a book return in front of the building denoting it as such.

b) Jeff Davis County Library
Fort Davis, TX (06.07.09)

A friend of mine from college was from Ft. Davis and I never, ever thought I'd someday find myself there. Not for lack of wanting to go-- it is absolutely gorgeous-- but it's just so far from home.
I was not disappointed, and there was something lovely about the library there. Maybe it's the fact that it helped produce one of the funniest and most intelligent men I ever met at school. I couldn't help but be thrilled to see this ode to mind travel. YEAH!

And then... there was this...

I'm all about the Boys and Girls Club, and I am all about diversity, even when it's forced. Still, I have to say that the expression on the girl on the far left left me a tad traumatized.

I told my husband, "I think she's going to EAT ME" and... um... uh... yeah. That bat isn't too inviting, either.

I'm totally going to hell for making fun of this.

c) Balmorhea Public Library
Balmorhea, TX (06.07.09)

I have a soft spot for this library even though I've never been inside and I don't have any connection to it. It wasn't in our GPS. I simply happened to see it on the main road, and I had my husband pull a drastic (yet completely responsible) James Bond maneuver. This is one of those cases where a clear library sign led the way.

And because Michael is so amazing every time he captures me in mid-air, I wanted to post this pic I took of him outside the Balmorhea Public Library.

Thank you, my luv!

Jumpin' Friday:: Alpine, Texas

Welcome to Jumpin' Friday, formerly known as my Road Map entries, which consisted of my beloved jumpies across the country. For those of you not in the know, here is a pretty loose description of what I call a jumpy:

A librarian + a road trip + a library + a camera = a jumpy, or a picture in mid-jump

I've been to hundreds of libraries in various countries. Going there is easy, thanks to my adorable and dedicated husband, who has pulled many (responsible) James Bond maneuvers whenever I squeal at the sight of a library sign on the road. It's the chronicling that's hard.

And now, here's a brief look at a solitary library-- the one in Alpine, Texas.

~~Alpine Public Library
Alpine, TX (06.06.09)

There was clearly something powerful in the desert air. These are the best jumpies I've taken in a long time. My God! I'm gorgeous!


I found the mural on the library wall very special. It's called "Libraries - Windows to the World," which was designed and painted by Carol Fairlie and the Sul Ross State University Fall 2003 student mural class. I find artistic partnerships with the library to be win-win situations. It's enough to inspire anyone.

And yet, I invite you to take a closer look at this detail from the mural:


Am I misled here by interpreting these purple squigglies, upon initial gut reaction, as flamboyant sperm? I'm not sure what is forbidden here-- making babies in the library, or procreating in general, or having the creativity to have these lines represent something entirely ethereal. After all, those squigglies are dead set on hitting that castle. Could it be that the Castle of Despair is going to get a good dose of bright colors, like the tour bus in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert?

Naturally, I kid because I love. It really does make me wonder, though, what the locals-- teens, in particular-- think of this artistic flare. We arrived on a Saturday afternoon, when the library was already closed, and we had no one to really ask.

Still, Alpine was very welcoming and at least the library was very clearly marked as such. Yay clear and present libraries!

Jumpin' Friday:: Uvalde, Del Rio, and Marathon in Texas

Welcome to Jumpin' Friday, formerly known as my Road Map entries, which consisted of my beloved jumpies across the country. For those of you not in the know, here is a pretty loose description of what I call a jumpy:

A librarian + a road trip + a library + a camera = a jumpy, or a picture in mid-jump

I've been to hundreds of libraries in various countries. Going there is easy, thanks to my adorable and dedicated husband, who has pulled many (responsible) James Bond maneuvers whenever I squeal at the sight of a library sign on the road. It's the chronicling that's hard.

This particular trip was made recently so we could attend a wedding in Marfa, TX. Of course, we took the long way around to get some new pictures of libraries. And here they are!

a) El Progreso Public Library
Uvalde, TX (06.05.09)

We did not get a chance to go inside this library, since we were on the road and in need to reach other library destinations in the daylight. (Taking library pix at night with our Canon camera is not recommended as it makes for grainy mementos.) What I do remember of this library is that we arrived just as it was closing, and that the ants on the ground were the plumpest and most venomous-looking I've ever seen. I was scurred!


b) Valverde County Library
Del Rio, TX (06.05.09)

I'm not very flexible, particularly in tight jeans, so even though this pose on top of the sign looks easy, I guarantee you it was not. It was Husband-san's idea, and I agree that it makes for a cute pic.

Check this out! I frikkin' love libraries that advertise their services for both children and teens. Yay!

Del Rio was a good host town for us. We spent the night at a Motel 6 in front of a tiny mall where I tried to find a decent shirt.

c) Marathon Public Library
Marathon, TX (06.06.09)

Yeah, try getting a good picture out of a construction site, ha ha. Marathon is a very quiet and very hot town. The library was tiny and closed on the Saturday that we showed up. We still got some pretty good pictures.


More from this trip to Marfa coming later.

Thanks for viewing these!

Jumpin' Friday: Castroville, Hondo, and Sabinal in Texas

Happy summer, y'all!

Welcome to Jumpin' Friday, formerly known as my Road Map entries, which consisted of my beloved jumpies across the country. For those of you not in the know, here is a pretty loose description of what I call a jumpy:

A librarian + a road trip + a library + a camera = a jumpy, or a picture in mid-jump

I've been to hundreds of libraries in various countries. Going there is easy, thanks to my adorable and dedicated husband, who has pulled many responsible James Bond maneuvers whenever I squeal at the sight of a library sign on the road. It's the chronicling that's hard.

Here's my stab at describing my recent travails across hot Texas terrain.

a) Castroville Public Library
Castroville, TX (06.05.09)

I have a total soft spot for Castroville, the Little Alsace of Texas, because our French class took a field trip there back in middle school. At the time, it felt like we had driven way out of town, but it's really quite close to San Antonio. Ha!


b) Hondo Public Library
Hondo, TX (06.05.09)

Wow. For a Texas town of roughly 8481 residents, I was really impressed with their young adult collection. It was larger than most libraries of its size that I've seen, *and* there was a good representation of sexual diversity storytelling. As in, the books weren't just about straight Anglo teens. I was just so obscenely proud! In the picture below you can see me holding Ellen Wittlinger's Hard Love and Sara Ryan's Empress of the World.

c) Sabinal Public Library
Sabinal, TX (06.05.09)

It's hard to see this from the picture below, but the library has lovely hardwood floors that I wanted to slip and slide on. The librarians there were very kind and polite. I was also really tickled by their VHS collection. I found an 80's Babysitter's Club videotape that made me long for my old video player!

More to come soon!

Road Map:: The Bridges (and Libraries) of Allegheny County, Part I

I have this thing about putting up library jumpies (pictures of me in front of libraries in mid-air) in the order they were taken, but I'm *so* far behind, you know? I'm starting to feel like the order just isn't important anymore.

So I'm currently on a trip to the Three Rivers so that Husband-san can defend his PhD proposal. This, of course, means I have time to rekindle old friendships, walk across bridges, and jump in front of libraries. Of course, ne?

One of my best friends took me to Mount Washington for a quick bite overlooking the city. Then I saw a woman with a Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh bag, asked her where she got it, and the rest is predictable.

a) Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh- Mount Washington
Pittsburgh, PA (04.25.09)

Ta-da! The last time I'd been to Mount Washington was two and a half years ago at night. People were dressed to the nines as there was a wedding nearby. One of these days I need to jump in my wedding dress... OMG that's brilliant!

Road Map:: Seguin and Corpus Christi, TX

a) Seguin - Guadalupe County Public Library
Seguin, TX (06.06.08)

Scandalous, I know. Showing that much skin in a library pic. You know what's even more shocking? The fact that, at the time of this visit, MySpace was not allowed on *any* of the computers. Yup, it's blocked completely, as if all patrons were still in high school. Granted, I don't know the story that goes with this decision, but I don't understand why they couldn't provide even one computer for this. Surely it's not a bandwidth issue.

They did, however, have a copy of Yasmina Khadra's The Swallows of Kabul. It's easily the most depressing book I've ever read. Easily. I had to read a chapter a week, it made me so emotional. And yet it has one of my favorite quotes:

"In love, even beasts are divine."

b) Corpus Christi Public Library
Corpus Christi, TX (06.20.08)

Believe it or not, this was my first trip to Corpus, home of Selena and the beach. I was surprised to find that the library does not have a teen librarian at all, and I'm sure that hasn't changed, given the current economic depression. The staff was uber friendly and helpful, though.

c) Cafe Maya Restaurant

This is the first time I sneak a restaurant experience into my jumpy entries, but oh!

The margaritas!

The salsa!
The chips and salsa!

My svelte Mexican figure! (Ha ha. :D)

And I couldn't leave Corpus Christi without a Facebook profile pic of me and the water.
Libr'ry roads, take me home.

Road Map:: Small-town Texas

I know.

I know you see the date on these pictures. They were taken in June last year and they're just now going up. I know. I've been trying to spread out the love, keep some pix just in case I go through a dry library spell, but this is just ridiculous.

In any case, here are some pictures of what appears to be a leisurely drive down Texas roads. Though, of course, it wasn't. We were moving from Pennsylvania, this was our second day driving, and we were exhausted. And even then, we stop for library pictures.

Speaking of Pennsylvania, my homegirl from Bethlehem visited me in SA once and said she couldn't take the skyline. There aren't mountains to fill up the view so the sky just looks too big. Well, miluv, here ya go:

She's right. That's a whole lot of sky. But not as threatening as going from Pittsburgh-level sunshine (2 on a scale from 1 to 10) to San Antonio-level sunshine (152 on a scale from 1 to 10).

In any case, on to some small-town Texas libraries.

a) J.B. Nickells Memorial Library
Luling, TX (06.06.08)


b) Tri-Community Library
Prairie Lea, TX (06.06.08)


Do you *see* those summer hours? They're only open twice a week. Wow. Voici my anime trapezoid mouth of alarm.

And the thing is, this was last summer. The climate for libraries is getting worse. My library system is no longer hiring and I feel so fortunate that I was able to sneak in less than a year before this unfortunate decision.

Road Map:: Carnegie in Texas

a) Carnegie Memorial Library
Lake Charles, TX (06.06.08)

And so I put on my San Antonio Spurs shirt as we entered Texas through Louisiana.

Seeing Carnegie libraries in Texas makes me ecstatic because they're not as common as they are in, say, Pennsylvania. Yeah!

Road Map:: More Louisiana love

a) State Library of Louisiana
Baton Rouge, LA (06.05.08)

Occasionally we park illegally to get the right library pic. This was one of those cases. Luckily we haven't had the cops come after us-- for parking anyway. More on our getting-surrounded-by-cop-cars story later.


b) West Baton Rouge Parish Library
Baton Rouge, LA (06.05.08)


Dang. That's a lot of CliffsNotes.

Road Map:: Animoto Jumpies, Part Deux

SAPL branches galore!
Or, as many as would fit within 30 seconds.

Road Map:: Animoto Jumpies, Part Un

Thanks to groserita for reminding me about the existence of Animoto.

And here is something I've been wanting to do for a long, long time. These jumpies are from Colorado, New Mexico, New York, Texas...

Road Map:: New Orleans

This is the way many of us want to remember New Orleans:

The light shining just right. Bourbon Street being called "Rue Bourbon." Iconic buildings.

My husband and I were so looking forward to our trip there to, you know, do our thing. Take pictures. Explore. Eat lots! We wanted to inhale Creole and Cajun and everything we had yet to discover. Alas, that was not our experience.

The food was expensive and not all that exciting. The service was, well, just okay. A man with an eye twitch asked me where I was from, and I rarely answer this type of question honestly, but I did tell him I'm from San Antonio. What ensued was an uncomfortable silence and my secret wish to be a better liar. I should have used Poteet, Laredo, Waco, anywhere! Just not the city that shamefully tried to steal their football team as they struggled to keep their community together.

And keeping it together is exactly what they're working so hard to do. How can I really complain about my "diminished New Orleans experience" after what the community has endured?

All I really could do was take my library jumpies and be on my way. The thing is, though, that I know I simply must go back in the future. The community needs the support and I do appreciate how the library realm is doing its part, in a way. The 2011 Annual ALA conference will be in New Orleans, and I do believe ALA was the first conference to go there after Katrina back in '06.

We traveled long and hard on the day we went to New Orleans, so I could not fully appreciate their library by going in. Still, here's the finished product.

a) New Orleans Public Library
New Orleans, LA (06.05.08)