2014 is here, friends.    It seems only fitting I begin the new year with a few photos.    These three photos are from a great, family-friendly park, San Gabriel Park in Georgetown, Texas.   Visitors there were blessed with a warm afternoon.   Temperatures in the mid-60s made it a good day for 10-year-old Kendall Nieburg of Round Rock, accompanied by her dog, Ruby, to take careful steps across a dam on the San Gabriel River.    Cody Kimbro, who just turned 3, got a few pointers from his father, Nathan, in the fine art of fishing.  Today was Cody’s first-ever fishing expedition.   Cole Bengford of Georgetown enjoyed the cool water of the San Gabriel River in his kayak.   Cole is a junior at Texas Tech and is having a great time at home during the holidays.    Make 2014 a good year, be safe, be happy.

The community of Weir, Texas, just a few miles east of Georgetown, is very small, only a few hundred souls.   That’s never stopped this spunky group of folks from celebrating with their own Christmas parade each year.   And it was a cold, windy afternoon for this year’s celebration!   Still, 3-year-old Nadia Rosas, joined by her cousin, 2-year-old Jayden Mireles (opening photo), enjoyed the action along Main Street.    Emily West, astride a donkey named Martha Peanut Butter, did her best to stay warm in her role as Mary as they represented the Chisholm Trail Cowboy Church in the parade.  Ken Teinert was joined by his granddaughter, 10-year-old Molly Wilson, as they rode in comfort on Ken’s 1951 John Deere tractor.   4-year-old Reese Jernigan managed to get his John Deere replica up the street without a hitch as well.   The Santas were tiny at this year’s parade.   They included 9-year-old Mason Davidson, riding in a float sponsored by the Weir Country Store.  And 6-year-old Aidan Dooley was proud to don a beard made just for him by his grandma, Diane Dooley.

Immanuel Lutheran Church’s

annual Live Nativity grows more popular each year.   What began a few years ago as a lone undertaking at the historic 1888 church has grown to now include the help of 14 other area churches in both Williamson and Travis Counties.  I always enjoy attending this outstanding labor of love that includes shepherds, donkeys, sheep,  Roman soliders and plenty of angels!  Here are a few offerings from this year’s undertaking at the Church on the Hill.

On a cold Saturday morning last week, families and children lined up at the old Georgetown Library location for the Georgetown Police Department’s annual Blue Santa distribution to Georgetown residents who make otherwise not have a very Merry Christmas.   Among those in line (opening photo) were 13-month-old Jacob Rodriguez and his mom, Marilee.  Once inside, families were treated to boxes of goodies free of charge.   And plenty of volunteer helpers were on hand, including Faye Freeman, a great juggler when it comes to stacks of boxes.   7-year-old Mahlet Messay was in the holiday spirit with her reindeer antlers as she served as one of Santa’s elves.   9-month-old Audrey Hamby was a bit sleepy by the time she sat on Santa’s lap.  By then, Audrey was ready for a nap, and perhaps time to not think about teething pains!   This year, Blue Santa served 1,712 kids and 615 families in Georgetown.   Good work!

Last weekend’s annual Christmas Stroll, in Georgetown, Texas, usually includes a parade.   This year, it was so cold (for Central Texas, anyway) a number of parade entrants backed out.   Alas, the parade was cancelled, but even though it was chilly, with temperatures never getting out of the low 30s, everyone who came still had a good time.   Ase Touba, the very cold lady in the opening photo, is from Norway, but even she found it to be a frightful climate!  It’s all about layering though, and she had that down pat.    The absence of a parade didn’t deter Santa Claus, who was on hand to visit with children at All Things Kids, a great little shop on the Georgetown square.   Inside the warm store, Santa delighted 3-year-old Naomi Kurtz and 6-year-old Nathan Keily.   Emilie Schneider, also 6, couldn’t quite get over her shyness with the bearded fellow, playing a bit of peek-a-boo during her visit.   NewChurch Georgetown was on hand again this year with their Whoo Village, where they were busy creating Whoo hairdos.   A pleasant respite from the cold was inside Grace Heritage Center, where friends CJ Jamison and Beverly Russeau enjoyed hot apple cider, courtesy of the Georgetown Heritage Society.    Cold weather can’t keep a good celebration down!

The candlelight service of the Advent season at Southwestern University’s Lois Perkins Chapel is a always beautiful and well-attended.   Recent cold temperatures and moist roads could’ve kept worshipers away, but that was not the case as the chapel filled with people and light, including 4-year-old Beatrix Chigoy, who came with her parents, Byron and Nichole Chigoy of Georgetown.   As the candles were lit, people sang “Silent Night” and slowly filed out of the chapel.   Most deposited their candles at the exit, but Southwestern University junior Emily Wick managed to keep hers going outside despite a persistent Central Texas wind.   All in all, a very peaceful service.

During the holidays, I enjoy many of the places I photograph and people I meet, but Thursday afternoon was as uplifting as anything I’ve encountered in a while.   Wendi Threlkeld, who works at Georgetown’s Visiting Angels Homecare, owns two miniature horses, Goodness and Mercy.   Goodness is 2 and Mercy is a spunky 7-month-old.   Goodness tops out at 200 pounds while Mercy barely registers on the scales at around 45 pounds.   Wendi and her friends added a bit of Christmas cheer to the residents of The Wesleyan at Scenic.   Amazingly, these equine beauties do quite well indoors!  Everyone loved them, but Beth Demaris, giving Goodness a smooch in the opening photo, was particularly enamored with these sweet babies.   This was a whole lot of fun.  I’ve seen much in my career, but horses in hallways is pretty unique!  These are a few images taken for my friends at the Williamson County Sun

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The Georgetown square is beautiful anytime of the year, but in the month of December it truly sparkles.   On Friday evening, I attended the annual Lighting of the Square.   It generally brings out a huge crowd of people, from the very young to the very young at heart.   Once again this year, the Austin Carolers were on hand to sing and entertain everyone.   As the skies darkened, Santa Claus, a Texas Santa complete with cowboy hat, came bounding down the steps of the Williamson County Courthouse, eliciting the aid of a bunch of kids as they threw the big red switch to light up the square.    As a bonus in this year’s post, I include the last photo in this grouping, which shows the just-dedicated statue of Robert McAlpin Williamson, our county namesake.  The statue, the work of Georgetown scupltor Lucas Adams, was unveiled just before the lighting ceremony across the street.   The beautiful work of art has a special spot at the entrance to the Williamson Museum.   It seemed appropriate to end this post with that, throwing in a little Christmas cheer at the courthouse behind him.

For the many years I worked at the Atlanta Journal & Constitution, Thanksgiving was always a big work day, covering the Atlanta Marathon & Half-Marathon on Thanksgiving morning.    Being back in Texas has been wonderful, but since coming home, I’ve been like a fish out of water on this day.   A road race was certainly needed to fill that gap!   Ask and ye shall receive, right?   The Georgetown Running Club has teamed with the Georgetown Sertoma Club

to bring us a new Central Texas tradition, their Turkey Trot, a 5-mile event that starts at the picturesque Blue Hole lagoon.   These folks did great for a first-time event, registering 600 participants.   How great is that?   It was a very cold morning, too.  At the 8a.m. race start, it was right at a freezing 32 degrees.  Thankfully, most runners love a cold race day.  What’s best about this race is its mission as a fundraiser, for Meals on Wheels and Georgetown Park Pals.   Participants were also asked to bring non-perishable goods to donate to The Caring Place’s food bank.   They delivered, toting 250 pounds of goods.   I’m glad this race was a success from the very start.  And happy to have another Thanksgiving labor of love.   These few photos were taken for the Williamson County Sun.

The weather forecasters called for wintry weather a few days ago in South Central Texas.  Since the area was awash with Autumn’s glow, I figured it was time to record a few images before the color disappeared for another season.   When we lived in Atlanta, Autumn was more prominent.  The sheer number of trees in North Georgia was certainly a factor there.   But what we have in our tiny little spot of Texas is nice, too.   It’s a pretty and peaceful time of year.  These photos were taken at San Gabriel Park in Georgetown, Our Lady of the Rosary Cemetery and Prayer Gardens, also in Georgetown, and a final one at Bull Branch Park in my little town of Taylor.