Normally, I take photos at the Clayman Family Rodeo in Georgetown  each October.  This year, however, Kelly and Jim Bob Clayman held their 1st Annual Windsong Farm Arena Championships Week.    I stopped by Thursday evening for some photos.  Events included pole bending, breakaway roping, team roping and barrel racing.   Windsong Farm has been a training facility for young equestrians for many years.  The  young ladies in the last two photos were just gifted their horses last evening by their families.   Both Kelly and Jim Bob are former rodeo champions.   The 29th Annual Clayman  Rodeo will once again be held in October.    Consider this post a summer interlude.

On my daily walks, the pace is slow, allowing enough time to see things I might miss from a car.      Leaves, for instance.    The way light dances around and through them is soothing.   All but the last photo were taken with my little Olympus camera.   The last one, where a leaf rests by blinds in our house, was taken with a Nikon.     Just some tiny landscapes.

These cows weren’t what I was looking for, but what the heck, they were there at sunset.   So was I.   The shutter clicked a few times before I moseyed on home.   Those hazy skies are fun.

Just some leftover photos from Monday night’s wandering during our Central Texas storms.    The light produced after a storm is often worth embracing.   Areas include Coupland, Beyersville and Wuthrich Hill.

Finally, some relief from the heat.  We’re getting some stormy weather tonight in our area of Central Texas.  Photos with this post are from Coupland,  a few miles south of Taylor.  That’s St. Peter’s Church of Coupland Cemetery in the first photo.   And the church itself in the last one.   It’s storming right now.  Thankfully, our power hasn’t gone out.  You never know around here.

What an interesting and diverse weekend of photos.   I got the ball rolling on Friday evening, covering the Williamson County Sheriff’s Posse Rodeo in Jarrell.   My next stop was right down the road, for the Taylor Pride Festival.    Though several things were going on throughout the afternoon and evening, I did what  works for me, just wandering and observing.  I did, however, step inside Texas Beer Company for a Drag Discussion Panel, followed by a drag show.   The panel and show included two 12-year-olds.   While taking photos, I noticed through the windows there were cameras trying to get photos of the show.  Inside, event staff  worked hard to block their view.   It had already gotten far too crowded for my tastes, but when I worked my way to the exit, I stepped into an ongoing interchange between event staff and Pastor Caleb Ripple, from Taylor’s Christ Fellowship Church.   Pastor Ripple, along with several other church groups, were on hand for outdoor activities along 2nd and Main Streets, offering low-key protest to the event.   The 12-year-olds in the drag show, however, prompted a stronger response.   Some of the demonstrators had come inside to take photos, but weren’t allowed to stay.   Thus the cameras outside, looking in.   And the refusal to allow any protesters inside the venue.    After all, Texas Beer Company isn’t a public space.  Outside, I continued to make photos, noticing a man named Patrick,  carrying a large poster with an image of Christ.  He appeared to be there on his own, not with a specific church group.  I felt a little bad for him because attendees heckled him continually.   The guy wasn’t preaching, only walking around with his poster.    All in all, it was quite a varied group of attendees.   I suspect organizers would rather not have demonstrations, but as long as people  remain in public spaces, they should be given a break.    It is, after all, a free country.   

Friday evening I attended the 78th Annual Williamson County Sheriff’s Posse Rodeo, now held in Jarrell, Texas.   This is the event that was held for many years in a picturesque arena near San Gabriel Park in Georgetown.    I love covering rodeos.  A couple I like show a young man preparing to compete in tie-down roping, a study in concentration and focus.   Mutton Bustin’ is particularly fun to photograph.  The little girl at the end of the post wasn’t happy with her sheep ride, but a supportive daddy was there to hold her hand and make everything okay.  The rodeo concludes its final run tonight.

There are many barns in the area I enjoy photographing.   This pair is in Travis County, a hair’s breath from Williamson County and our Taylor home.   They were photographed this week about 10 minutes past sunset.   The Saharan dust adds a layer of interest.

In wandering around a nice dirt road last evening, I noticed an interesting little bird relaxing in a tree.   It’s larger than your typical grackle, smaller than a hawk.   She/he seemed chatty. And I liked the golden light. 

Maybe it’s too much of the same subject matter, but when a scene comes along, my first thought isn’t to pass it by.    The radar just engages.   The shutter clicks.  I seldom pass up the chance to document Texas Longhorns.  Mamas are the best.