A few weeks ago we had turbulent weather that produced several tornados in Central Texas.   Tonight, we’ve been under a tornado watch in areas of the Blackland Prairie.   Thankfully, as this is written at 10p.m., all is well.   Just some photos of storm clouds in East Williamson and Bell Counties.  

These files have been sitting on my computer’s desktop for a few weeks.    This is Christ Lutheran Church, in Noack, Texas.   It’s an area not overrun by development.   So far, anyway.

As long as they keep popping up, I’ll keep recording them.   A field of Texas Bluebonnets under a canopy of clouds near Wuthrich Hill.

Driving by Murphy Park tonight, I was glad to see the little island in the lake at Murphy Park covered with egrets, plus a few cormorants.   Every year since 2010, I’ve looked forward to the return of the egrets as they begin new families.   This year, however, they were a bit late.   Presented tonight are some photos taken there last evening.   A number of longtime Taylorites aren’t fond of this protected species.   Sorry, folks, I love seeing them.  They are graceful.  And elegant.

You might recall me purchasing an inexpensive Olympus mirrorless camera and two lenses late last year when I had my cataract surgeries.   The equipment was purchased used from Precision Camera in Austin for $600.    Although I soon returned to my Nikons, the Olympus joins me on every walk, replacing the smartphone as my camera of choice.   Presented here are some recent snapshots around Taylor, beginning with an early-morning sunrise photo at Bull Branch Park.   The walks are always in town, either in Taylor or Georgetown.   For the rural scenes, my Nikons serve me well.

As Williamson County roads get more crowded, I sometimes venture to other areas for a bit of stress reduction.   These four photos were taken on a Thursday evening drive through Southern Bell County, in areas east of Bartlett.   It’s nice to be able to find places where I’m not overrun by traffic headaches.     Growth is inevitable, but I don’t have to like it.

The simple theme for these three photos?  All are images with a Taylor address, but good evening light connects them, too.   I’ll leave it at that.

They’re saying it’s not a very good year for wildflowers, but I am seeing a few.   A good example are the ones I happened to see this week near Noack, Texas.   Texas Bluebonnets, now getting some colorful company from Castilleja indivisa, more commonly referred to as Texas Indian paintbrush.  As each wildflower season comes around, I try to ignore them, but they just keep reeling me into their orbit.   

Photos tonight are from rural outposts in two Central Texas counties.  The opening photo was taken in Travis County.   Although home to Austin, this bit of Travis County is just a few miles from our home in Taylor.   The second image is a few miles east of Granger.    Farm country, friends.

Before they’re swept away by bigger weeds, I thought it a good idea to post bluebonnet photos when seeing something worthwhile.   Bluebonnets don’t always show up at the same place, but they appear to thrive each year in front of this old barn near Jonah.     Other wildflowers are coming soon.  Hopefully, they’ll find their way to this site.