For the first time in decades, my health isn’t good on this day. I won’t go into details, no need for that. For the first time in 40-plus years, a part of July 4th was spent in the emergency room. By early-evening, medications beginning to help, I wandered out outside for a short while, photographing one of the first windmills I saw in here in 2009, followed by youngsters cycling past American flags in downtown Taylor this evening. 
With all the recent clouds and haze (but not a speck of rain), I didn’t expect to see tonight’s full moon. Thankfully, it made a brief appearance before being absorbed by clouds. This is over grain elevators at a Taylor farm I have documented for years. 
A followup to Saturday’s post from Georgetown’s Berry Springs Park & Preserve. I arrived at the park Saturday morning, really too late to spot any wandering deer, but it was time well-spent watching butterflies, grasshoppers, dragonflies and hummingbirds. After close to 90 minutes in the warm Texas sun, I ventured toward my air-conditioned car, but on the way there was this young fellow with some of the best hair seen in quite a while! Introducing myself to mom and dad, I asked if it was okay to take his photo. They graciously granted permission. When explaining what I’d been photographing, dad thought his little man would like to take a look, too. He was more fascinated with grasshoppers than anything else, but also relaxing under some shady trees. He’s in the opening photo, also the last one. This park is a wonderful space. 
Sunflowers are one of summer’s pleasures in the south and southwest. I honestly don’t care much for summer where we live, but sunflowers are elegant. They can be the large ones, or smaller ones growing wild all around us. These flowers bring smiles to many of us. I’d just about decided not to photograph them this year, but a morning trip to Georgetown’s Berry Springs Park & Preserve changed my mind. An upcoming holiday prompted the opening photo. The hope of rain is tickling the Central Texas ivories tonight. Let it happen, please. 
A simple photo tonight, a duckling making its way through the water at Taylor’s Murphy Park. 
A few photos taken during walks the past few mornings, all in Taylor. For lack of a better name, these are tiny landscapes. You won’t see any panoramic vistas here, mostly botanical details as I observe the delicacy of light, shadow and color gracing a leaf, flower or tree. There is, however, one duck, because she adds balance to the scene. Although we live near the prairie, these are town photos, in city parks and neighborhoods. Mentioned before, but walk photos are taken with a lightweight Olympus camera purchased used in late-2021 when cataract surgery limited what I could carry for a few weeks. While my Nikons are still primary tools, none are as easy to tote as the Olympus. The walks are meant to be exercise, but photographs can happen anywhere, anytime. Too many shots posted, but it’s either now or never.
Three recent photographs I need to move off the desktop. All (I hope) invoke a quite feeling. The opening photo is from East Williamson County, the center one from Bell County, and the last one is far northeast Travis County. None are more than 30 minutes from our Taylor home. 
From wanderings on Monday and this evening, just some (hopefully) quiet scenes from the Blackland Prairie. Included: a hay bale catches the evening light in front of a field of cotton beginning to thrive, the most vibrant milo (grain sorghum) I’ve seen in years, and a nice country road from this evening. 
One of the churches I love seeing is New Sweden Evangelical Lutheran Church, tucked away a few miles north of Manor, Texas, in Travis County, home to Austin. This two-photo post opens with a sunset. The second photo aligns with what I saw for the first time, in 2009, the year we returned to Texas. The 108-foot tall copper spire could clearly be seen from a distance. After stressful years in Atlanta traffic, it was good to see. It still is. 
Although in recent years my work is evolving into documenting disappearing places and things, there’s still a need for journalism in the toolkit. One of the most interesting aspects for newspaper photographers is the variety of subject matter that comes our way. This weekend is a good example, covering rodeo on Friday night, followed by the Taylor Pride Festival on Saturday. Although quite different, both merit representation. Taylor Pride, formed in 2020 by Denise Rodgers (with support from many friends), was held Saturday afternoon and evening at Heritage Square Park. Pride events anywhere in the country attract not just supporters, but those with opposing views. Allow me to open this post with a quiet photo that needs background. Both subjects are active in their churches. The gentleman was here to support a close family member who needed a caring ear. The young lady attends a church with a different viewpoint. But the thing that impressed me was that they sat together for at least an hour, just sharing their thoughts. Disagreeing, perhaps, but without the turbulence. Elsewhere in this post you’ll see a more stressful situation when someone opposed to the gathering stood on the lawn, soon surrounded by attendees who didn’t like his views. For what it’s worth, when people try to cover up something, I’m on it in a heartbeat. Pride organizers had every right to be there, but so did the demonstrators. The last photo included shows Denise Rodgers sharing a hug with daughter Emma, who was also celebrating her 21st birthday on Saturday. Perhaps I’m offering too many words, but sometimes it’s good to remind readers/viewers that journalists, particularly photojournalists, are tasked with casting wide nets. It’s what we do. 
