A few photographs from this morning’s Taylor Juneteenth Parade are presented here.  This is a very hectic day, but wanted to  offer something from the town where we live.   The closeup photograph is Lessie Givens, the parade Grand Marshall.   A longtime educator, Mrs. Givens will celebrate her 100th birthday on July 9th.  

The rookery in Taylor’s Murphy Park is a place to relax without worrying about someone barreling into you while scouring the countryside.   With the foldout chair in place it was a nice time to watch the birds tonight.  The space we had when moving here years ago was nice.   The rookery was quiet.  It remains so.

Another crop begins to take shape on the Blackland Prairie.    Cotton seems to love this soil.

If you’ve followed this stuff for a while, you know about the need to observe how light falls on a subject.    Just slight variations can change the appearance of a subject.   These two were taken from basically the same spot as a large flock of birds flew back and forth over a vintage barn near Taylor.   The first photograph is the keeper, but look how the scene changes in the blink of an eye.   Some of you probably try to manipulate a subject to achieve a visual goal, but friends, nature  can do that for you.  Note that two-photo combos look awful on Facebook,  this time the lesson is (perhaps) worthwhile.   Just watch light, friends.

The friend who owns these ponds calls them tanks, but whatever name you give them, they’re nice places to visit.   A small collection of photographs from an outing there this week.  

The first two are from last evening, the closeup is from tonight.  You know what they are.

It was an okay bit of wandering this evening, but when this scene appeared close to sunset, all was good.   It’s a stream.   Not a pond, not a tank.  The crisp light was a blessing.

For 30-plus years running was a passion, but it wasn’t a good fit when seeing something interesting along a route.  And the dang cameras were too heavy to carry while running.  Since becoming a committed walker years ago, slowing down has allowed a new avenue for photographs.  When meandering along on these strolls, there’s no guilt about briefly stopping for a snapshot.  It’s an ideal combination of exercise and therapy.   Perhaps these walking posts will screech to a halt.  They’re just little slices of life, taken with a little camera that’s not a phone.

Today is Flag Day in the United States.   Photographs offered here are from Mager Cemetery, seen in a recent post when Rain Lilies were in bloom.   American flags, photographed near day’s end on Saturday, are offered this time.  Volunteers from  the Hermann Sons Coupland-New Bern Lodge place flags on every burial place.  During last night’s visit a friendly pooch, whose name tag calls her “Fancy” stopped by, too.   She lives nearby, utilizing the expansive fields to get there.   Mager Cemetery is  nestled in a quiet area of our county, so far not mowed over by development.  

Georgetown’s 74th Juneteenth Celebration, hosted by the Georgetown Cultural Citizen Memorial Association, was held today at the Georgetown Community Center in San Gabriel Park.  The indoor event was preceded by a small parade through the park, led by a few capable Girl Scouts from a troop in Round Rock.   By now most of you know the history of Juneteenth, but if not get your search engines in gear.   The program, as always, concludes each year with the playing of “Reach Out and Touch.”   Holding hands is a given.  And always inspiring.  Just a bit of community journalism, friends.