I’d planned another post, but the quality of this evening’s light changed my mind. Is there something about autumn that adds intensity to light? I haven’t a clue, but tonight was interesting here on the Blackland Prairie. 
Nothing much to say here, just something relaxing from the village of Coupland, Texas. That’s St. Peter’s Church of Coupland in the photo.
Holland, Texas is a community of a little over 1100 people in Bell County, Texas, about halfway between Taylor and Temple. It’s a straight shot up Texas 95, an easy destination for me. In June of every year they hold the Corn Festival, several days of food, music and fun. We grow a lot of corn around here. The community, dating before the Civil War, was called Mountain Home. In 1870, a post office was added, but it closed the following year. In 1881, a railroad line was extended from Denison to Taylor, thus creating Holland, named for James Reuben Holland, born in 1847 in Clairborne County, Tennessee. He and his family first settled in Belton, but later purchased land in the area, building a steam-powered cotton gin in 1878. These are only area impressions. I like the bank building quite a lot. Opened in 1905, it still operates today, but under different ownership, of course. The row of grain elevators are downtown. The vintage tractor and the small pond are just south of town. As mentioned, just impressions. 
Whenever discovering a field of Texas Longhorns not seen before, I try to document what’s there. These lovely creatures were spotted last night near Coupland, Texas, just a few miles south of home. There wasn’t a really good place to photograph them, but I did what I could. The poor cows were fighting off flies, not an uncommon thing for them. They would’ve appreciated a few cattle egrets to help get those rascals off their backs. Regarding the opening photo, at first I thought the dots in the sky were a distant flock of birds, but they were just dang old flies. 
Each autumn I begin to look for signs of autumn at Taylor’s Bull Branch Park, just blocks from our house. It’s a park I know well because it’s on my daily walking route. Things are just beginning to change in the park this week. You won’t see a lot of vibrancy, but maybe in a few weeks those cypress trees will look good. These photos were made at the end of the day, finishing in early evening. I’ve noted some evidence of beavers (or nutria) around the bases of the cypress trees. The city helps by placing bits of fencing around their bases, but beavers/nutria are motivated. 
A leftover photograph from Tuesday night rambling, finding my way out of Williamson County, onto a Bell County road. 
Just two photos tonight, from the area east of Granger, one I like to explore. The first image was near sunset, the sun peeking through a long-abandoned farmhouse. The other photo, taken about 40 minutes later is a farmer making his way home. Remember to be kind to our farmers, friends. 
It’s been a while since my last visit to Thorndale, Texas, a community of a little over 1400 about 13 miles east of our home in Taylor. It’s mostly in Milam County, but apparently a tiny portion is in Williamson County, home to Taylor. It was founded three miles west of here in 1878, but moved to its current location two years later. As the days grow shorter, once again I have the opportunity to delve into night photography. The small towns in our area are perfect for that treatment if you have a good tripod and aren’t afraid to use it. Much of the first half of “The Rookie,” a 2002 film starring Dennis Quaid, was filmed here. The baseball field in the movie is still in use, but not in this post. These are just some downtown images. 
A leftover from the last evening of the Williamson County Fair & Rodeo, at the Expo Center in Taylor. I was sitting in a long line of traffic waiting to get in when a vibrant rainbow appeared. The line to get into the fair was too much for me. I drove on. Crowds are a bother. Rainbows, not so much. Note a hint of the midway at lower left. 
On Saturday, the closing day of the Williamson County Fair and Rodeo, I spent most of my time watching kids from around the state show off their sheep and goats. It was wonderful to see. Growing up in Texarkana, I remember livestock being an integral part of our annual Four States Fair and Rodeo. The number of very young children at Saturday’s competition was impressive. Among the youngest was a red-headed 4-year-old from Troy, Texas, who showed his entry named “Sweet Girl.” Like the other entrants, he was in his element. Moms and dads were extremely supportive. One young teen, who was showing three lambs, held up his fingers, asking this pesky photographer to give him some space. I only shot that one frame. A few minutes later, he was happy and good to go! Our new county fair pays homage to the agricultural roots here. As growth continues to dominate, it’s good to hold onto those things. 
