I love this photo because it’s about friends and the gathering of the tribe and the passing of a friend.

I’ve made many friends thanks to music, and occasionally fly here and there to see bands, live music, friends, cities, everything there is about travel. I first visited Austin in 1989 and, while I ended up deciding not to move there, it’s been a second home to me since then.

This is the water tower near Gruene Hall, about a one-hour drive from Austin that I’d enjoy with a good friend when one of our favorite bands was playing there. (The second photo I posted here, back in May, “Noodling,” was from Gruene Hall.) We’d meet up with a whole lot of other friends there, catching up, breaking bread, buying rounds, and then letting good live music wash over us.

In September of 2021, one of the people in our little group died. Most of the rest of us still get together to see other bands around Austin as best we can, and the first chance we had, we raised a glass to our late friend. How can I not love this photo.

May 12, 2019. Samsung S10+ cell phone, 4.3mm focal length (35mm equivalent: 26mm), f/1.5, 1/40, ISO 320.