A  while back, in March 2011, while on an evening bicycle ride on the country roads in East Williamson County, Texas, I came upon a man, accompanied by his dog, as they herded a large flock of fluffy sheep along County Road 345, a peaceful road with very little traffic of any kind.  A few days later, in my car this time, and with cameras, I returned.  This deserved documentation!  The man was Rosalio Rodriguez, and his herding dog was Charlie.   During a slow period recently, I decided to see if they were still around.   Indeed they were.   Rodriguez, now 61, and Charlie, now  a lively 8-year-old, were once again shepherding their sheep, about 60 head, up and down that same road.  Rodriguez works at a machine shop in Pflugerville.  Each morning, he gets up at 5a.m., reports to work by 6:30, and is home by 4.   The routine doesn’t vary much.  He and Charlie herd their flock out of his 5-acre pasture onto the roadside, where the sheep fill their bellies for a stroll that often takes two hours.  Not one time have I seen him actually whip the sheep.  It’s only a deterrent, it seems.   It’s nice to see them again.   I hope to return next Spring when shearing time comes around.

In Central Texas, the last couple of days have been quite wet.  We needed the rain, of course, but at the same time, it kept many of us indoors.  On Sunday afternoon, the rain stopped and the temperatures dropped, thank goodness.   Glenn Cook and his 5-year-old son, Leo, headed to Georgetown’s San Gabriel Park for  a bit of father/son bonding via soccer.  Despite his age, Leo appeared to be quite good at this endeavor.   He plays (and dad coaches) on a 4-5 year-old league.   The Cook family, you see, just moved to Georgetown a year ago, from Glenn’s native England.  Soccer is quite a big deal there.  Leo’s been kicking the ball since the tender age of 2.   Get outside, enjoy the day, and your family.

Since coming home to Texas, it’s been a pleasure to attend the Williamson Museum’s Chisholm Trail Days for the Williamson County Sun, held each October in Georgetown’s San Gabriel Park.   This was the 10th year for the festival, which celebrates our cultural heritage.  The Chisholm Trail route actually passed right through Georgetown, coming up what is now Austin Avenue.   This year’s event included a Friday night campfire dinner in the park, complete with cowboy cooking over open fires, with pinto beans, with and without jalapenos added, and really nice-looking apple, peach and blueberry pies prepared in dutch ovens.  The main event on Saturday was well-attended.  Attendees got to visit with Buffalo Soldier reenactors from Austin’s Camp Mabry.   For the first time this year, Native Americans were here, including brothers Gideon and Miles Mouse, 3 and 4 respectively.  The boys, dancing since they could walk, are the children of a Cherokee father and Iroquois mother. The day concluded with a longhorn cattle drive through the park.   I’m told that the first year or so, the cattle drive came through the Georgetown square, but organizers felt this a safer venue for all concerned.   Here are a few photos from both Friday and Saturday.

This is one of those posts where I don’t need to say a lot.  Pumpkin patches have arrived in Georgetown, Texas, with plenty of choices for shoppers at two area churches, including First United Methodist Church and San Gabriel Presbyterian Church.

When I visited the patches last weekend, there were ample good scenes everywhere, including one young fellow who couldn’t quite lift his pumpkin, but had no trouble at all pushing that sucker along.  Daddy came along to do the heavy lifting.   These patches  are both church fundraisers, good places to spend your money and your time.

National Night Out, an event which fosters positive community relations between first responders and the communities they serve, was held last Tuesday in Georgetown.   The Georgetown Housing Authority, where these photos were taken, hosted one of the bigger block parties in town.   In this time, when relations are strained to the hilt around the United States, it’s good to see these events.   The fellow in the opening photo, City of Georgetown police officer Robert Jones, stands as an example of how people can come together to make things work in harmony.  You could see the compassion in his eyes.

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Just in time for Halloween, Georgetown’s Palace Theatre is “putting on the Ritz” with their production of “Young Frankenstein.”   It’s a continually-moving bit of work that should keep audiences entertained throughout.   A number of the Palace regulars are in this one, including Craig D. McKerley (Dr. Frederick Frankenstein), Emily C. Niswonger (Elizabeth), Pete Munoz (Inspector Hans Kemp), Nikki Bora (Ziggy), Betty Ortwein (Frau Blucher), Brandon Blake (The Hermit)  and other names you’ll recognize.  The Monster is played quite well by Clint Cox, who looks to be a pretty big fellow in real life.  Ashlee Zoch, playing Inga, is new to the Palace stage, a welcome transplant from Houston.  The show, directed by Palace Artistic Director Mary Ellen Butler, will be on the Springer Memorial Stage weekends through November 8.

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The Sun City Kiwanis Club  held their huge Sun City Garage Sale last Saturday morning.   It’s held twice a year, in the Spring, again in Autumn.   The sale is a fundraiser to assist kids with their education needs, from elementary school right on into their college years.   Naturally, I forgot just how crowded this event can be.  Arriving a few minutes after its 8a.m. start time, my parking place was not close!  When I got there, however, it was total pandemonium.  Taking it all in was Lilo, a 3-month-old English Bulldog who came with her human friend, Erik Arguelles.   She seemed to attract as much attention as the bargains.   These photos were taken for my friends at the Williamson County Sun.

Kelly and Jim Bob Clayman have been training folks the art of horsemanship at Windsong Farm, in Georgetown, Texas for many years.  Their students, mostly a youthful group, get the chance  each October to demonstrate some of what they’ve learned at the Clayman Rodeo.  Jim Bob and Kelly are both rodeo veterans.    I spent a lovely Saturday afternoon and early evening taking it all in.   Primarily, students focus on things like barrel racing, pole bending and events that call on their roping skills.   Generally speaking, you won’t see any bucking bulls or broncos at this event, but you will see the respect the kids have for their horses, and the love of all things equestrian.  One barrel racer even had a Go Pro camera mounted on her helmet!   Of course, kids in the audience each year get a chance to pull a ribbon from a calve’s tail in the calf scramble.   Finally, let’s not forget the audience members, like the two 5-year-olds near the end of this post, and a 7-year-old lady who already knows how to use a real camera!   These photos were taken for my friends at the Williamson County Sun.

While on another assignment in Sun City, Texas Saturday morning,  driving by Legacy Hills Golf Club, I saw something vibrant and amazing: the waterfalls coursing through the already-beautiful landscape were flowing pink!  Completing my other assignment, I determined to stop by and ended up staying close to two hours, tripod and camera in hand.  Note (as if I have to say it … duh) there is no manipulation in these photos.   I found out that October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  Legacy Hills and another Sun City course, White Wing, teamed up for a Rally for the Cure, a golf tournament to raise funds for cancer research.   The water, of course, is a hit you over the head reminder, done in an inspiring way.   Here are a few photos from my time on the course.  At times, the water looked pink, other times purple, with a little red thrown in, too.   It was breathtaking.   For more information about breast cancer awareness visit Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Inc.   By the way, Komen began in Dallas, in 1982.

In one of my wandering moods Wednesday, trying to get a grip on sinus and allergy-related issues, my drive took me to Georgetown, Texas.  It was a pretty afternoon, with a gentle breeze, perhaps a bit warm, but that was okay.   Initially, the plan was to drive by San Gabriel Park, but then I remembered that Georgetown has a Bark Park, on Holly Street.   I’ve driven past it a few times, but never stopped for a visit    The overused word “wow” comes to mind.   This Bark Park is amazing!   Nestled under a canopy of healthy pecan trees are six acres of fun, for big dogs, small ones, and everything in between.  There’s even a fenced-in area inside the larger part where small dogs and their owners can safely play.  One doggie mom, with her three active pooches, found time for a jog around the perimeter a few times.  Her well-behaved babies occupied themselves with trying to get a squirrel.   This park, open year-round from dawn to dusk (weather permitting), is one of the gems in this Central Texas city north of Austin.   These photos were taken for my pals at the Williamson County Sun.