In late 2017, family friends made the decision to move from their established home in the Spring Branch area to a better fit within the same neighborhood. Their home was a standard party location each holiday for our family as we’d gather to share a meal, stories and smiles.

Upon receiving the news of the relocation, a concentrated effort to minimize their carbon footprint (and overall need for extra room in a Uhaul) prompted an estate sale. I found the gem of an Emerson TCX53 boombox with cassette, 8 track and AM/FM radio capabilities and felt it was worth an investment. One trip to the store for batteries, as the boombox came with no A/C adapter, and I found out firsthand that the cassette player would eat a tape in a heartbeat, the 8 track is nonfunctional and the radio itself is hit or miss.

My investment was presenting itself as more of a paperweight than a project. Nonetheless, the visual representation of something vintage and portable that was a reminder of a different time was palpable. I have a collection of vinyl that helped lend a hand to what you currently see for our current Instagram presence.

Entering 2018, I knew that I wanted to compose something that was fun, engaging and which combined my loves of music, travel, hometown pride and photography.  Thus, #haveboomboxwilltravel started. I’m here to showcase some of my favorite and iconic parts of Texas and beyond, pairing the photography with relevant music. Each Monday on IG at @cratesandcrowns, I look forward to sharing something great with you. Each Tuesday, find my insight on the location, some fond memories, and the tracks used.

Thank you for being a part of the journey! As this grows, you might see opportunities to score some amazing limited run apparel and gifts to help cover the cost of running the blog, but really- let’s just have fun and enjoy some great tunes and interesting places!

-Ryan