A large crowd gathered Monday morning at Veterans Memorial Plaza in Sun City, Texas to commemorate Memorial Day.   I covered this for the Williamson County Sun.  Thankfully, the rain that moved in held off until everything concluded.    Of all the photos, the one that moves me most is the final scene taken, where Betty Schleder, holding back tears, salutes the retirement of the flag with the cap of her husband, World War II veteran Ben Schleder, who died just three weeks ago at age 92.

Summer is a few weeks off, but the weekend leading up to Memorial Day gets many of us in the swing of things a little sooner.    I spent all of Saturday wandering around Williamson County to check out the action for the Williamson County Sun.   Berry Springs Park & Preserve is a wonderful space east of Georgetown.   There, in addition to some late-spring wildflowers, I found a gentleman enjoying a stroll among the stately grove of pecan trees with his German shepherd, Kiowa, and his pug, Boo Boo.   I didn’t pry, but he mentioned that Kiowa is an assistance dog.   The man sustained injuries in Iraq.   Kiowa is his friend, but also a helpmate.   As Memorial Day approaches, it’s good to remember those who have served.   Moving on, I stopped at San Gabriel Park, where kids were enjoying dips in the cool river water as well as giving their fishing skills a try.  And I found some gents, members of the Cyclopaths cycling club, as they finished a group ride in Weir, Texas.   The final stop of the day was at Georgetown’s Blue Hole lagoon, where I found youngsters enjoying an old-fashioned rope swing.   The final photo in this post was a nice topping to a long day of shooting as these two siblings, ages 6 and 7, made a dash for cover at Blue Hole when a late-afternoon rain shower moved in.   In drought-plagued Central Texas, we’re doggone happy with the drops come down, whatever we happen to be doing!

On Wednesday night,  determined to get up early, I set my alarm for well before dawn in hopes of capturing photos at the beginning of  a day.    Five-something in the morning would come mighty early.   Knowing this, I set the alarm out of reach on a table that would force me to get up to turn it off.   Otherwise, as I’ve done before, I might reach over and turn the dang thing off in the middle of the night.   When the alarm blared, I silently cursed it, but got moving.    As it turned out, it was to be a cloudy day, but I hopped in the car and headed 10 miles east to Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Wuthrich Hill, Texas.    The corn looked good, the church atop a hill was indeed peaceful.   With Memorial Day coming up, someone had placed American flags on graves in the Prince of Peace cemetery.   Somewhat satisfied with the outing, I headed home.  En route, I spotted sunflowers poking their heads out near another field of corn.   All in all, a good morning.  Not perfect, but what is?

The Palace Theatre in Georgetown, Texas is presenting “Guys and Dolls” on their Springer Memorial Stage weekends through June 15.    It’s a lively production directed by Ron Watson.   It was a lot of fun to watch and photograph.    If you plan to be in the area, you might put this on your to-do list.    You’ll have a good time.

At times, I’m inclined to take photographs for no other reason than it makes me feel good.   That’s not always the case, of course.   Since my field has been photojournalism, it means I’ve had to be a jack of all trades:  a documentary photographer, fashion photographer, sports photographer and hard news photographer all rolled into one.   Heck, managers actually didn’t understand why I never enjoyed courtroom photography.   There’s few things more boring (and often sad) than recording what occurs in courtrooms.    Gladly, I have always been able to find things I like, whether or not there’s a publication home for them.    One of those subjects are the photos presented here, taken in my town of Taylor, Texas, late in the day when the light was behaving nicely.   These photos were  taken on the little lake at Murphy Park.   The lake’s center has an island where various types of egrets, geese and ducks share homes.   The locals, however, haven’t been fond of the egret’s pooping habits.   Nevertheless, I love birds and wish I knew more about them.   They’re glorious creatures, even if they do have some habits we humans don’t like.  I say  to those humans:  tough poop.   They have a right to be here, too.   Our skies are rewarded by their graceful soaring.

Granger, Texas is a town of about 1,200 people in east Williamson County, Texas.   It may be small, but it’s big enough to hold an annual town fundraiser, their Lakefest.   Even though it’s dubbed Lakefest, the actual Granger Lake is about 8-10 miles east of here.   But people still come together for  a parade and BBQ Cook-Off in this quaint, predominately Czech community.   If you saw the remake of “True Grit” a couple years ago, the downtown you’re seeing in the movie is Granger.   They didn’t have to do much to take movie-goers back in time to the 1800s.    The downtown area is separated by railroad tracks and that proved interesting for Saturday’s parade.    Just after the honor guard crossed the rails, a passenger train moseyed into the picture.   The honor guard dutifully stood for the 3 minutes it took for the train to pass, then it was on with the show!   One of my favorite photos from this assignment for the Williamson County Sun was Larry Svehlak, joined by his 17-month-old granddaughter, Brynley Huber as they made their way along Davilla Street on his fully-restored 1955 Oliver tractor, a Super 55.   I made the mistake of telling him how much I liked his John Deere.  Boy, he didn’t like that one bit!   He sure liked that Super 55 though.

For years, I’ve thought these birds were just called Roadrunners, but a Wikipedia search indicates that what I’ve been admiring is actually a Greater Roadrunner.  Either way, after an exit from the greater Southwest for 34 years, it’s good to see these swift little critters again.  They seldom fly,  but can if pressed on the matter.  They actually  prefer a nice stroll,  reaching speeds of  20 miles per hour.   On the way to get a Sunday paper today, I spotted this one and commenced to give chase across a few neighbors’ yards.   I never got as close as I’d liked, but it was fun seeing them.

I spent a big slice of Saturday right in my own little town, Taylor, Texas as I covered their 2014 ZestFest.  The downtown area was closed for the day, giving visitors plenty of room to roam.   Among those in attendance was Bella, a Teacup chihuahua,  a real featherweight for her mom.   Taylor’s Folkloric Dance Collaborative troupe again put on a fine set of dances for the audience.   They’re an award-winning group led by Alma Holiday.   I love watching them perform.    The Blackland Quilt Guild was also there to show off some of the beautiful quilts they’ve put together.   The group members do some spectacular work.    Taylor’s Boy Scout Troop 167 brought their teepee for folks to check out.   The gent inside the teepee is Ray Ochoa, one of the troop’s scout leaders who also happens to be Apache.    One treat for kids I’d never seen before was something called Bubble Runners, where you’re zipped into a big bubble, then placed in a huge kiddie pool to rock and roll, staying dry throughout.    Fun stuff.   These are some photos taken for my friends at the Williamson County Sun

.

Approximately 727 people gathered at Birkelbach Field on the Georgetown High School campus last week for a National Day of Prayer observance.  Among those in attendance (opening photo) were Jessyka DeRemer, her 20-month-old son, Mark, and Gary DeRemer, Jessyka’s father-in-law, Mark’s grandpa.   It was a respectful observance, the 23rd year for people in the Georgetown area to offer prayers.     It’s a good observance, but I can’t help wishing it were more inclusive.    I count among my friends those who are Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist.   Just a thought, for what it’s worth.   Maybe it’s asking too much for people to get along, regardless of their beliefs.   Still, this was a well-done and positive gathering.

In Taylor, Texas we love ducks.  Our school team mascot is a duck.   They spend most of their time at Murphy Park and Bull Branch Park, where there is ample water.  Sometimes, they cross the roads and visit neighborhoods.   Drivers here know the importance of these feathered beauties and most often stop for the crossings.   Each spring, a new flock enters the world.  Eggs are everywhere, but well-hidden.  These are some photos taken this week on the lake at Bull Branch Park.   Go Ducks!