Cotton seed/grain bin in Corsicana

 This awesome monstrosity was on our main thoroughfare to and from the hotel and eating/shopping.  I was smitten the first time I saw it,enjoyed it at every passing, finally taking time to photograph it one afternoon. I put a car in the picture to try and convey just how huge it is.

I loved the roundness, the rustiness, the pointy top pushing into the blue sky.

I wanted to climb the scant winding staircase.....

 .....and see on the other side of this little door.

It reminded me of a chubby land-locked lighthouse.

To add to the novelty: this bin is located at the intersection of

7th Street and 7th Avenue.

In contrast to the tall, round white of the bin, stands a no less huge angular and red structure,

yet they seemed to go together like a long married couple

What little information I could find:

Built in 1952, the renovated grain silo has been used as a hat shop, a vegetable shop, a resale shop, a donut shop and a teenage club. The upstairs was used as businesses and beauty shops, and apartments. [Source]

At one time there were plans for this to be an antiques/skating/eating establishment.

[source] [source 2]

Both appear to be vacant today. I wonder what future lives are in store for these two old beauties.

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Corsicana, Texas

I live in an old town, albeit much smaller than Corsicana, but still I can't help see the similarities of the two--hints of what once was, the old downtown architecture, the older residential style.  What is outstanding about Corsicana however, is how they have been able to repurposed, reused, and revitalized their downtown area. (My little town is trying.) Buildings that once held other businesses are now boutiques, antique shops, cafes, a florist, doctor's and lawyers offices.  We even noticed some loft apartments. These cute storefronts remind me of the little towns in books I've read and always wanted to visit.

Grave Creek Mercantile

Bittersweet Boutique

Trophies Unlimited

quote from the Corsicana Daily Sun: The Dr. Pepper mural on the side of the building is probably the most photographed spot in town!

Victorian Sample Florist

Merchant Antiques

Merle Norman Cosmetics Studio

The State National Bank
Eight-story structure built in 1926
Currently houses JP Morgan Chase

Moving to the more industrial part of town: 

This building was particularly fascinating to me--its architecture, color, just everything about it. I love how they maintained the historic nature of it by adding a modern entrance on the side that can be seen to the right in the photograph. 

Stephen Augustus (Gus) Pace came to Corsicana from Alabama in 1872. He started a retail grocery store. In 1898 he built this very stylish building Pace Wholesale Grocery Company. It was built in three sections. The oldest and most ornate East section built in 98', the center section built between 05' and 10' and the West section built before 1913. All three sections are visible in this early shot.

Coming soon:

 Some of my favorite building from around the still very active railroad, some of the restaurants we tried, and other interesting photos around Corsicana, including our trip to the Russell Stover factoy candy store!!

Meeting an old friend

Our stay in Seguin put me stone's throw away from a dear old friend that I don't get to see very often.  It created the perfect opportunity for us to get together over lunch and catch up. We had both looked online for suggestions and decided walking around the central park would be a good place to start.

We settled on Jonathan's choice for lunch: Amy's & Cathy's. As cute as the little sandwich shop was inside we chose to dine alfresco. The afternoon was just too beautiful!

More walking led us to a coffee shop with "We've Moved" written on the glass.  A disappointment.  We continued on to a fun little bookstore.  Who can resist?  After a thorough perusing, we chatted a while with the owner and got directions to the relocated coffee shop.  It wasn't in walking distance, but oh, it was worth the short drive just for the sheer novelty of it!  Jonathan and I found quite the juxtaposition:

Chiropractor & Java Joint

Let that sink in for a minute.

Your eyes are not playing tricks.

We indulged in the Java portion, but passed on the chiropractic! 

We soaked up the remainder of our afternoon on the banks of the Guadalupe River.

The bookstore lady told us this old power station is being converted into a restaurant.
This will go on mine and Bobby's to-do list.

That evening, Bobby and I just struck out with no place particular in mind to eat.  Maybe the afternoon outing inspired me, because we ended up at the Guadalupe Grillhouse.

It it usually a good idea to ask the server for a suggestion on what to order. They will either tell you their favorite or what is most popular.  Their recommendation will either confirm your choice or convince you to try something you otherwise would not have.  That was the case for me on this night.  I tried their brisket nachos.  Excellent choice, if I so say so myself!  The smokey meat was a very different take on traditional nachos. They were loaded with brisket, cheese and beans, topped with jalapeno slices.  Our server tempted us with a platter of desserts and we succumbed. We shared a slice of locally-made caramel pecan cheesecake over coffee.

Seguin, Texas

Traveling north just a bit, we land in Seguin, Texas. We arrived in town tired and hungry; comfort food was the ticket, even before we checked into the hotel. Our go-to favorite in that category:

I love IHOP.

It was training night at IHOP--shadowing trainees galore.  I was reminded of Kristin's stories from back in the day when she was the 'shadower' and then 'shadowee'.  They were all working so hard--we got asked about 15 times by several people if everything was okay.

We were in a booth. Picture the kind with a half wall divider and a strip of glass atop that.  I didn't notice when 2 quite elderly ladies were seated on the other side of it.  What got my attention was their server.  He was maybe all of 19, tall, cute in a teenage sort of way, turned out in his white shirt and black slacks.  He was giving his utmost attention to his customers.  The ladies were deliberating over the menu, clearly unsure of what was what.  This young man was bent over the table, pointing through the menu, describing items, giving them consideration as if he were ordering for himself. He was so sweetly patient, without a drop of frustration or condescension toward these little ladies. It was quite touching. When he finished taking the order, I caught his eye over the partition and gave him a thumbs up.  Later I mentioned to his supervisor what a kind thing he did.  The supervisor then told me that the young man had ADD and when he first started working there he wanted to give up on himself, but this supervisor wouldn't let him. He took the young man under his wing, literally, working with him side by side.  He became confident and can now handle multiple large tables at a time--on that night he was also training 3 other people.  One of his best employees. An already good story just got better. I wish that young man many successes and kudos to the supervisor for seeing his potential.

On this night, IHOP provided not only comfort food, but comfort for the soul.