Since the weather forecast tonight called for heavy rain and thunderstorms, it wasn’t a certainty I’d find much to photograph on this Halloween night along Main Street in Georgetown’s Old Town neighborhood.   Silly me!  Of course they showed up, in large numbers.  The rain finally did come after about two hours, sending folks heading for the dry safety of their cars.   That aside, it’s always to document this tidbit of Americana for the Williamson County Sun.

Just a few late-day and early-evening photos taken around Taylor last evening and tonight.   After the first couple of photos, all others utilize a tripod, a really good tool to keep on hand.  Camera exposures on numbers 3 and 4, both near  Fannie Robinson Park, are 30 seconds.   The last one, tonight where ducks were settling in on the dock at Bull Branch Park?  That was only 20 seconds long.  Ducks, being ducks, will move a bit, but that dock is tack-sharp!

Bear with me while I continue to extoll the beauty of night imagery, friends.    These photos were at two small cemeteries in East Williamson County, Texas.   Perhaps it seems odd to enjoy being in a cemetery at night, but I find them wonderful, peaceful, soul-stirring places.   Throughout the late-spring and summer months, I had to deal with the profanity of bright daylight lasting far too long.   As we approach the conclusion of Daylight Saving Time next weekend, I am a happy fellow.   Let there be light.   Good light. And good night.

Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to once again cover the Adults With Disabilities Dance, held Friday night at the Georgetown Community Center.   This is a wonderful event sponsored each year by Georgetown Parks & Recreation.   The saddest part of the night, however, was the absence of Gracie, shown in the final photo, taken at last year’s dance.   A few weeks ago, Gracie died suddenly at 23.  Born with multiple issues, her doctors told her family she’d never be able to smile.  She proved them wrong.    I’ll leave it at that, friends.  

It’s hard to put into words my feelings about the days getting shorter.    While I love many forms of photography,  images made when the day’s harsh light has moved on is a special treat.    To say that I’m excited about the 2018 conclusion of Daylight Saving Time would be an understatement.   Tonight’s photos were taken in Bartlett, Texas, a wonderful community of around 1700 that exists in both Williamson and Bell Counties.    If you look closely at one photo, you’ll hopefully see remnants of a Coca Cola sign on the side of a building.   The lady who lives here hopes to restore the sign to its original majesty.    That’s it for now, friends.   Thank you for putting up with my evening fascination.

It’s another one of those times when something not planned makes an appearance.   A little before 9 tonight, on the way home from an assignment in Georgetown, I looked left and saw a wonderful sight, a moon adorned with soft orange light.   Considering the hour, and the fact that I hadn’t eaten yet, for a moment, just a moment, I thought about skipping this one.  Then I took a left, pulled into Taylor Regional Park.  On a basketball court a group of young men were enjoying a little pickup basketball.   Sometimes I make the right choice.   The pizza had to be microwaved, but that’s okay. 

Our dog knocked on the door this morning well before dawn.  Since it’s also trash pickup day, I stepped outside, noticing an extra dose of warm illumination.   Looking up into the eastern sky, there was a fine old moon gracing us with its presence.   It’s not good to let something like this go unnoticed.  Strapping a camera around my neck, I made a few frames, using one of our trees as a point of focus.  Autumn is a season where I normally get bothered by that tree because of the massive leaf droppings  it deposits in our yard, but this time, it added something.   The moon, by the way, was in its Waxing Gibbous phase, not quite full, down to 95.5% visibility, but  just fine as it was.

After a few days where rain was the order of the day, on Thursday evening, the sun made an appearance over the San Gabriel River, bringing a sense of autumn splendor to Williamson County, Texas.  

These couple are from a drive I took Wednesday evening, a night filled with a mist that kept my windshield wipers busy, followed later by field-soaking rain.     They are  simple images that say whatever you  like.    For the second photo my preference was monotone.  In the vernacular of those  film days, it’s a little grainy, what we’d currently call “noise.”    Either way, the mood it conveys suits me.   

It’s easy to understand why birds love it around here.   We have abundant space for them to enjoy, and obviously plenty of food sources to keep them fat and happy.  These little black beauties, which I’m pretty sure are grackles, weren’t bothered a bit by stormy skies and rain tonight as they cozied up to each other along a county road a little west of Granger tonight.   These critters are fascinating.   Two things that I don’t get: 1) why they’re not electrocuted and 2) how they manage not to smack each other into oblivion when in flight.    Amazing.