Ripe cotton field, outside Seminole, Texas
Texas isn't just oil. It is also cotton, lots of it, and it is cotton picking time on the plains of Texas. What a beautiful site to behold while driving through last weekend, all that fluffy white along the highway for as far as the eye can see. In more ways than one, it must be kind of like Christmas to the farmers around there.
Getting the cotton in before the rain, wind, or snow ruins its quality is vital. And that means working all night if need be, which is exactly what Donna and I saw as we drove home in the dark from the wildlife refuge -- lots and lots of cottonstrippers with their lights on, going up and down the rows of cotton looking like some sort of wild, industrious aliens from another planet.
8 comments:
Wow, long time since I last saw cotton growing - in Turkey and being picked by Turkish women, many with babies on their backs - when we got to the next town, we saw where all the menfolk were - surprise! - sitting outside the local coffee shop!
WOW! I am floored! Question: how many photographs have you taken since you started? And what do you plan to do with all these?? I seriously think you need to find a publisher! You are doing a great service in recording the natural beauty of Texas...Think about it!
I too was going to say Wow! What a sight! I have never seen cotton growing before.
I love seeing cotton grow. It just feels so homey to me and takes me back to my growing up in the Pecos Valley of New Mexico. I have picked cotton a few times and I sure admire anyone who has the stamina to endure it for a day. Back breaking work!
Wow, I've never seen a cotton plant before. They look like they are a great subject to photograph with the soft round ball like (flowers?) and the stiff,straight lined stems. Good contrast and then there are the other elements like the sky and the field itslef.I enjoyed reading your post too :)
Frances, I had to laugh. That reminds me of the older men in Lebanon, frequently too, "managing" everything while sitting, smoking, drinking tea.
Neda, I've taken A LOT of photographs this past 10 months. (Lots, though, are pure crap.) I have no idea what to do with them, except enjoy them here on the blog, my own little scrapbook of my life. Thank you, dear heart, for thinking so highly of the best ones of them.
Bev, it's hard for me to imagine someone not seeing cotton growing. Just goes to show you the commonplace for one is the exotic for another.
Mom, when I was in the field taking pictures I thought of how important cotton has been in our family history. And I thought how difficult picking it by hand must be. It looks soft -- but the stems and pods are anything but.
Lisa, this is the seed pod stage of cotton. The blooms are really beautiful, too. If you are interested, you can get an idea of what the plant looks like while it's growing at this post of mine from September.
You're amazing
Hi,
Do you mind if someone used your cotton field photos
thnk u
abeera_project@hotmail.com
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