Some things simply get better with age. When this building along Route 66 at Newkirk NM was open for business and freshly-painted, a couple of generations ago, it probably didn't attract a single photographer.

Even today, it can be downright ugly (and I have other photos to prove it!) when the brilliant sunshine hits this north-facing wall.

But in this shot, the wall surface is just barely in shadow, while the weeds a couple feet away are sunlit. The indirect September sun, combined with an elevation of 4300 feet, and years of weathering/fading, has left COLD DRINKS painted in a beautiful pastel.

And just above that, in much smaller print, is the word ICE--something I originally missed.

(This image is on display at the Route 66 Interpretive Center, Chandler OK.)