Click here to read the full press release on Dallas Art News (www.dallasartnews.com).

My darling spouse and I had a rare day together leading into a four-day weekend. We made a date of the afternoon by antique shopping and having lunch at the Klyde Warren Park in Dallas. Antique shopping is way more interesting when I get to bring along a camera, in this case my Nikon D7000 with a 35mm 1.8 lens.

Click any of the thumbnail images below for a larger version. Cheers.

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On Saturday, April 27, 2013, after a Slow Art Day, I got a few minutes with Kennedy assassination witness Mary Ann Moorman Krahmer. Mrs. Krahmer was gracious enough to be photographed and interviewed for my JFK book, Death By Holga: 11.22.63.

I met Mrs. Krahmer at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. She was accompanied by her husband.

I was prepared with a chair, diffuser / reflector, one Nikon camera, two Holga cameras, and a very able assistant. The day started off as overcast with a naturally diffused light. But as afternoon came around, so did the harsh sunlight. My assistant kept Mrs. Krahmer nicely diffused (and shaded) for the entire shoot.

Mrs. Krahmer, at the time Moorman, was standing with Jean Hill along Elm Street in the center of Dealey Plaza. I took her photo in the exact spot she and Mrs. Hill were standing. I was surprised that it was so close to the street. Mrs. Krahmer was the closest witness to the assassination.

Mrs. Krahmer took a Polaroid photo the moment after Kennedy was shot. This very famous photo is on view in The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza.

I shot two rolls of film, one 160 ISO and one 400 ISO. I like to hedge my bets when it comes to mild days and the use of a diffuser.

The film will be developed later this week. You’ll have to read the book to get the interview. Cheers.

I don’t normally experiment with my photographs. I like them exactly as they are shot. My usual enhancements are in line with what a darkroom technician can do. I adjust the color, improve the contrast and remove some of the dust. I don’t like cropping my images because Holga photographs display best when showing the entire image.

I decided to combine a cemetery monument of Jesus and a lifeguard stand. Both photographs are from Galveston, Texas. I used the fullness of each image, which seems to enhance the vignetting. The ghost image of Jesus over the lifeguard stand give the photograph an interesting meaning. Are they both looking out for us?

My next combination wasn’t so deep. I combined the word art from the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth sign with Vortex by Richard Serra (2002), the large sculpture outside the museum. Vortex is a collection of steel plates all standing together like a giant red wood tree. The sculpture nearly 68 feet high with room for a large crowd to stand inside. There are two slit at the base that allow visitors to pass through the work. I prefer My Curves Are Not Mad (1987) at the Nasher Sculpture Center. Still the stone word and the steel go together nicely. I could actually take this shot a a double exposure on a Holga, which I will try next time I’m in cow town.

The combination of Lee Harvey Oswald’s grave marker and the Oneal ambulance that took Oswald to Parkland Hospital did not turn out very well. I like the ambulance. I just don’t like how plane looking Oswald’s marker appears. His original marker had much more detail.

The first combination at the top of the page is 602-604 Elsbeth and 214 W. Neely. These were residence of Lee and Marina Oswald in Dallas. The Oswalds lived at the Elsbeth apartments in late 1962 to early 1963. They moved to the Neely house in March 1963. Overlaying the photos gives the Neely house a more sinister look than its usual happy yellow facade. I only used the window and surrounding bricks from the Elsbeth apartment, which give the Neely house the appearance of having a porch and a brick wall near the street.

The last photos I combined are the signs for Dallas Love Field and Parkland Emergency Room. These photos mark the beginning and end of President Kennedy’s journey through Dallas. It if wasn’t for the presidential motorcade through Dallas, Kennedy could have driven straight to the Dallas Trade Mart in about five to ten minutes.

The Dallas Love Field and Parkland Emergency Room photo is not an exact match of square frame to square frame. I took liberty in adjusting the ER sign and I really like how the security camera appears in the blue sky.

Let me know what you think of my digital enhancements. I am always looking for ways to make my photographs more interesting and unique. Cheers.

Before the wrecking crew tore it down, I got a chance to see 602-604 Elsbeth, Dallas, Texas. This run down apartment north of the Bishop Arts District in Oak Cliff was the former residence to Lee Harvey Oswald and his wife, Marina. The couple lived here for six months between November 1962 to March 1963.

News reports state that Lee beat Marina and that she tried to commit suicide in the bathroom of this very apartment. Marina conceived her second daughter while living at Elsbeth.

Honestly, I did not think much about the apartment. There are a number of other significant Oswald places around the Dallas metro area.

There is Oswald’s last official residence (a boarding house) at 1026 N. Beckley Ave., Dallas.

There is the last place Oswald slept (Paine House) on November 21, 1963, at 2515 Fifth Street, Irving.

And also there is the Neely house where Oswald was photographed with the rifle and revolver at 214 W. Neely, Dallas.

But after listening to the news reports over and over again, I just had to visit the Elsbeth apartment. So, my show daughter (win, place, show) and I ventured out on another photo safari.

The Elsbeth apartment is a large horseshoe shaped complex. There are about ten to twelve units. The Oswalds lived in apartment No. 2, which was on the ground floor near the road.

We parked across the street in an empty lot. No sooner than I started taking photographs, we met the owner, Jane Bryant. Ms. Bryant purchased the complex in 2011 with the idea of fixing it up. Unfortunately, The City of Dallas said it had to come down.

Bryant immediately invited us into the fenced-off grounds. Some of the demolition had begun. There were piles of bricks and some boards covering the windows had been removed.

I expected a mess, but what I got was Gordon Keith. Mr. Keith is a television and radio host, columnist, and avid Kennedy assassination enthusiast.

I had recently met Keith at The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. I was there for the “Oswald Has Been Shot!” panel discussion with some of the media who were in the Dallas Police Headquarters basement on Sunday, November 24, 1963. The highlight of the panel was Dallas Police Det. James Leavelle, who was handcuffed to Oswald when Oswald was shot by Jack Ruby. Keith asked me to take a photograph of Det. Leavelle and himself.

From what I could tell, Keith was in Oswald’s apartment removing either the toilet or the tub. After reading his column, I see it was the tub. This would make for an interesting collectible.

After a little visiting with Bryant and Keith, I got down to business. I took my photographs and recorded the GPS coordinates.

I was about to leave when Bryant told me the bricks were being auctioned on eBay. She said the current price is $11 each. I looked in my wallet and then offered $10. Bryant said no, the going price was $11 each. So, I paid $11 for a brick. I got one from the pile of bricks nearest apartment No. 2.

Bryant walked us out of the fenced area and watched us leave. I couldn’t help thinking she didn’t want us taking any more bricks.

Update – May 24, 2013

I got a call from Jane Bryant yesterday. Apparently she was none to pleased with this post. Ms. Bryant demanded that I removed her from my website. She stated her graciousness in allowing me onto the property, which I agreed. She denies selling me a brick for $11 instead of the $10 I offered, which is untrue. And she did watch me leave the property, also true. Ms. Bryant even criticized my site for having the comments section turned off, which is standard after a few weeks on all WordPress site. After not being able to get a word in the conversation, I simply thanked her for calling and hung up.

A word to the wise: you will catch more flies with honey than vinegar. If Ms. Bryant asked kindly, I would have been happy to comply. Food for thought. Cheers.

Related Posts

Gordon Keith: Crazy, haunting memories of 604 Elsbeth, where Lee Harvey Oswald lived in Dallas

I now have a list from Ancestry.com that gives me all the names of babies born in Dallas County on the same day as Kennedy’s assassination.

If you are on the list below or know someone who is on the list below, please have them contact me. I would very much like to meet them and possibly photograph them for the JFK book I am preparing for the 50th anniversary.

My ultimate goal is to get a Parkland baby, but I may just get a group of Dallas babies together for a special photograph.

Please contact me via the contact form at Dallas Art News or find me on Facebook at facebook.com/DeathByHolga or on Twitter at twitter.com/MrHolga. I can’t wait to meet you.

The following people were born in Dallas County on Friday, November 11, 1963, which means they will be 49 years old this Fall.

1. Clara Aceves
2. Sandra Sue Baldwin
3. Roy Belcher
4. Lynn Frances Belvin – Randi Romick might have Lynn’s information.
5. Lisa Cheryle Bingham
6. John Mack Brown
7. Michael Eugene Brown
8. Darla Kae Cannaday
9. Johnny Ray Chapman
10. Darleen Ann Church
11. John Kennedy Clifton
12. Jacqueline Linnett Cobb
13. Octavia Thomas Crawford – Born at Parkland. Have email. Not made contact yet.
14. Charles Gregory Daugherty
15. Paul Doyle Denman
16. Dana Lynn Douglas
17. Michael Paul Dozier
18. Leticia Alaman Duarte
19. Retha Charlene Duncan
20. Michael Fitzgerald Dunn
21. Wayne Bennett Dyess
22. Silvia Ivette Ekman
23. Heedi Marie Evans
24. Terrence (Terry) Wayne Falls
25. Valerie Jo Foster
26. Tina Gail Fuller – Contacted. Born at Methodist Hospital.
27. Kimberly Kaye Giles
28. Sharon Jill Gouge
29. Heather Hackett – Contacted. Born at Baylor Hospital.
30. Jeffrey Lee Hardin
31. Jackie Ken Harris
32. Pamela Renee Hendershott
33. John David Hopkins
34. Christopher Carroll Hunter
35. Katrina Marie Jemerson
36. Dean Thomas Jones
37. Christopher David King
38. George Hamilton Leach
39. James Alvin Lee
40. Kerry Ann Lewis
41. Shenion Dence Lewis
42. Tina Yvonna Madden
43. David Wayne Majkszak
44. Donald Duane Margraves
45. Jackie Denise Martin
46. Karen Rae McGinnis
47. Terrie Eileen McKay Lamarche – Contacted. Born at Baylor.
    
48. Megan McMurtrie
49. Billy Troy Morgan
50. Bruce Steven Morgan
51. John Thomas Nabors
52. Anthony Dwayne Nash
53. William Patrick Nesmith
54. Christene Denise Palmer
55. Edna Michelle Peoples
56. Angelita Perez
57. Anthony Adam Perez
58. Gwendolyn Paige Peterson – I am already in contact with Paige. She was born at a Dallas hospital just south of Parkland.
59. Sherry Yvonne Phelps
60. Christopher Lee Pierce
61. John Fitzgerald Rodriguez
62. David Anthony Rogers
63. Randi Sue Romick – Contacted. Born at Baylor Hospital. Randi knows a couple more Kennedy babies.
    1. Debbi Levy – Randi knows her and she is game for a photo too.
64. Jeffrey Michael Sanders
65. Sandra Dee Satterwhite
66. Charlotte Denise Smith
67. Melissa Faye Smith
68. Traci Lee Smith
69. Daniel Brent Stovall
70. Maureen Sweeney
71. Paul Martin Zingler Trautwein
72. Walter Zane Vaden
73. Leroy Allen Venn
74. Kendall Trace Wagner
75. Christopher West
76. Cathy Annette White
77. Tony Vincent Williams
78. Lisa Ann Yates
79. Karen Denise Young

Contact me via the contact form at Dallas Art News or on Facebook at facebook.com/DeathByHolga or on Twitter at twitter.com/MrHolga. Cheers.

Dallas Municipal Building
2014 Main Street, Dallas, Texas

I did a walk through of the Dallas Municipal Building (DMB) to check out the basement where Lee Harvey Oswald was shot by Jack Ruby. I want to see if the location is really worth photographing.

In order to film at the DMB, I need to submit an application with $50 fee, have proof of insurance and pay $35 per hour for a security escort. The fee and the security are easily handled, but the insurance will cost $300 plus for a year policy. This is going to be one expensive photo.

I met Lt. K. Houston after passing through the metal detector and my wallet was x-rayed.

I boarded the elevator with Lt. Houston and he immediately starts talking about the ghost of Oswald still in the building. He mentions that Oswald took the very elevator we were standing in.

The basement isn’t much to see. There are the glass doors that lead out onto the parking area. Directly past the doors are two ramps on either side of the building for garage access. Passed the ramp driveway there is another ramp for parking places, where the press was set-up that day to see Oswald transferred to the county jail.

This would be a great picture if I can get Det. Leavelle to pose for a few shots.

We took the elevator back up to the third or forth floor. The elevator does not go all the way up to the fifth floor any more. The DMB is in dire need of a wrecking ball. The whole place is falling apart.

We get to Oswald’s cell. There is layer after layer of mint green paint on the bars and bunk beds. The cell had four beds and one toilet / sink. Yes, a toilet and sink, all-in-one, made out of chrome.

I stood in Oswald’s cell for a minute with my hand still in the cell door way. Not that the doors could move any more, but I wasn’t going to be locked in.

There is a wonderful large window allowing natural light to poor across the cell bay. Having a sunny day for filming will be important.

Lt. Houston gave me the 25 cent tour. He told me there were drunk tanks, long-term prison cells, Texas and OU cells, and cells for women. The area did not look that big, but there were a lot of cells. And this was just the fifth floor. There were more cells on the forth.

This building is begging to be photographed. Looks like I need to get some insurance.

I called my brother to start setting up the photo shoot. I am going to need help with this one, especially if I get Det. Leavelle to pose.

Later I explained it all to my wife and then again to my mother when she called. My mother, an avid stock photographer, wishes she could join in the action.

Over spring break, my family took a trip down to south Texas. We planned a road trip that would stop in Fredricksburg, Stonewall and Austin for a few days. My darling spouse wanted to see some sights and I needed to photograph where President and Mrs. Johnson were buried.

President and Mrs. Johnson

President and Mrs. Johnson are buried in the Johnson Family Cemetery located on the Lyndon B. Johnson Ranch in Stonewall, Texas. The ranch became part of the National Parks Service after the passing of Mrs. Johnson.

At the visitors center, the park ranger on duty told us the Johnson Family Cemetery is only visible from outside the stone perimeter. Access in the cemetery requires permission from the Johnson family.

The cemetery is part of the driving tour around the LBJ Ranch. There are stops at a working farm, one room school house, a private runway with Johnson’s Air Force One jet and the Texas White House.

The Johnson Family Cemetery is a well groomed and tree covered couple of acres surrounded by a stone wall and iron gate. The President and Mrs. Johnson are buried under a very old live oak tree. The markers are pink Texas granite. The President and First Lady’s tombstones are larger than others in the cemetery.

I took photos from the perimeter at the gate, directly in front and at the side. The tombstones are too far for my Holga, but anyone with a good DSLR and zoom lens should be able to take an awesome photo.

The cemetery has several interesting tombstones that look much older than all the pink Texas granite stones. I really liked the tombstone for Mrs. R. H. Burton (died April 28, 1905). Mrs. Burton’s tombstone looks like white granite with a calf or sheep sculpted on the top. This tombstone is beautifully weathered and pitted from years of abuse in the south Texas.

As usual, I took photos with my Holga, Nikon and iPhone. I also got GPS coordinates.

I might have to see about getting permission from the Johnson family to gain access to the cemetery grounds.

Grove Hill Memorial Park is located in East Dallas, near Fair Park. This is one of the largest cemeteries in Dallas. I had to ask for assistance because they have more than 60,000 graves. I was assisted by Don at the front desk and Melody Rekieta.

Grove Hill Memorial Park is a few miles east of Fair Park in Dallas, Texas. There I found Dallas Police Chief Jesse Curry, businessman George Dealey and some old family friends, the Von Erichs. Blanch Barrow, mother of Clyde Barrow, is also buried somewhere at Grove Hill.

Jesse Curry
Small gray granite marker with top pointing west
N 32º 47.407’
W 096º 34.421’
Elev. 404 ft.

Chief Curry is buried next to his wife.

George Dealey
Small gray granite marker with top pointing west
A large Dealey family tombstone nearby
N 32º 47.441’ W 096º 43.288
32.790683, -96.721466
Elev. 471 ft.

George Dealey is buried nest to his wife in the Dealey family plot. There are about a dozen family members there.

Von Erich Family

I went to school with Chris Adkinsson (a.k.a von Erich). We spend the forth and fifth grades together. At one point I got to meet, or at least me in the same room, with all the Von Erich family including David, Kevin, Kerry, Michael and their father Fritz.

David Adkisson (von Erich)
Pink granite marker

Michael Adkisson (von Erich)
Pink granite marker

Chris Adkisson (von Erich)
Pink granite marker with top pointing west
N 32º 47.256’
W 096º 43.160’
Elev. 847 ft.